I'm Broken, Please Fix Me
by TutorGurl
Summary: After getting her heart broken by Nathan, Haley and Brooke, who's had her heart broken a few times herself, decide they need to get out of Tree Hill. They hit the road, heading to elsewhere and hoping to get fixed on the way.
1. And You're Coming With Me

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but of course you already knew that. Author's Note: This is my second OTH fanfics, so please be nice. This takes place somewhere near the end of the season. Naley didn't get married, Jake and Luke didn't leave. Other than that, everything is the same as the show, I guess. You might notice that in both my fics there is the common theme of 'Nathan's an asshole', I know he isn't this bad in the show, but I like him better as a bad guy. He's much too lame as a good guy.  
  
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The night was beautiful. The moon was full, the stars were shining. It was chilly, but not too cold. There was a slight breeze rustling the leaves of the surrounding trees. In Tree Hill it was the perfect night for basketball, but there wasn't a ball in sight. It seemed that ever since the Ravens lost their first play off game and ended the season in record time, nobody played anymore. The Rivercourt was almost always empty accept when someone would drop by to think, like there was now.  
  
Haley James looked up at the gorgeous night sky and sighed. How could it be so beautiful outside when she felt so horrible on the inside? She sniffled and wiped away a stray tear that escaped from her eyes. She didn't want to cry, she wasn't going to give him that kind of power. She cringed at the memory of her supposed boyfriend on top of that blonde slut. That wasn't even the worst part of the nightmare that was this evening. Another tear fell as she replayed the scene out in her head, but this time she let it fall. Turns out that after all this time, Lucas had been right all along, Nathan was just like his father. Now the only thing to make this little déjà vu perfect was if the blonde slut announced that she was pregnant and she and Nathan were getting married. Hot, angry tears began to fall and she didn't even care anymore, she was beyond self-control at this point. She was so caught up in her pain that she didn't hear the car pulling up behind her.  
  
"Tutor Girl?" called Brooke, shutting the door to her silver convertible VW bug and walking over. Haley jumped in surprise at the sound of the girl's voice and quickly tried to wipe away her tears.  
  
"Tigger, what are you doing here?" she questioned in a shaky voice, giving away the fact that she had just been crying. Brooke sat down on the top of the picnic table, beside Haley, giving her a suspicious look.  
  
"Sometimes I come here to think," explained Brooke, which earned her a surprised look from Haley. "I know, marvel at the concept. Were you crying?" Haley, despite herself, had to laugh at the tactlessness the cheerleader showed. She certainly didn't bite around the bush. It was classic Brooke Davis. Haley frowned, struggling with the decision of what to tell her. Should she tell her the truth?  
  
"It's a long story," she finally decided, hoping the other girl would just leave it at that. Yeah right, like that was going to happen. Brooke leaned back on her hands for effect.  
  
"You know me, I've always got time," she said, nudging Haley with her elbow. "And I'm a big fan of stories."  
  
"Yeah, and you're also a huge fan of ruining my life," countered Haley with a knowing look. Brooke sat up straight from her lounging position. "So you'll have to excuse me for not jumping at the chance to give you more ammo."  
  
"For what it's worth, and that's probably not much, I am sorry," Brooke apologized. She looked down at her hands. "I don't blame tou if you don't trust me, in fact I'd think you were crazy if you did, but...I'm trying to fix all the things that I broke and that includes you."  
  
"You didn't break me, Brooke," Haley corrected, deciding that she really needed to talk to someone about this. It was weird that that someone turned out to be Brooke, but...when you live in Tree Hill, anything is possible. "I'm broken, but you had nothing to do with it." Haley couldn't look at Brooke anymore and quickly turned away as the tears returned. Brooke watched in concern.  
  
"Haley? What happened?" she asked in what she hoped was a nice, comforting tone. She could tell that the girl was in a lot of pain, hell anyone could see that, and she just wanted to help her. "Do you want me to get Nathan?" Haley laughed bitterly.  
  
"He's the one who broke me," Haley confessed. Brooke's eyes softened even more at the slight crack in Haley's voice. She turned to face Brooke. "I had something to tell him, something huge, I was kinda scared about it."  
  
"Then what happened?"  
  
"He was on top of her...when I came in...some blonde slut," Haley retold, crying harder at each word. Brooke was more than a little surprised at the new information. Sure, he wasn't always the perfect gentleman with Peyton, but she thought things were different with Haley. She thought he was different.  
  
"Do you want me to kick his ass?" Brooke asked, trying to make her feel better. Haley gave her a sad, watery smile.  
  
"That's not eve the worst part," Haley told her. Brooke raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Then I told him."  
  
"Told him what?" she questioned, dying to know what had gone down between the two. She wasn't going to tell anyone, she was leaving, who was she gonna tell?  
  
"Let's just say that Nathan has more in common with Dan than we all thought." It took Brooke a minute to decode what Haley was saying. Then it hit her.  
  
"Are you pregnant?" she gasped in shock. Haley quickly looked at the ground. She slowly nodded. Brooke let out a breath, then thought about what had happened to her. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Hundred and ten percent," Haley sighed. "Went to the doctor's and everything. I'm two months along."  
  
"And Nathan..."  
  
"Wants nothing to do with it," she finished. It wasn't until she spoke the words out loud that they finally sunk in. She suddenly broke down into sobs. Brooke looked at the crying girl and her heart nearly broke. She reached over and gently brought Haley into her arms.  
  
"It's gonna be okay," Brooke lied, rubbing her friend's back supportively.  
  
"What am I gonna do, Tigger?" she sobbed, clinging to the other girl. "My parents are going to kill me, I can't go home. And school. Everybody will know, I can't show my face there." Brooke looked over at her car, staring at the suitcases in the back. She then looked down at the girl in her arms and made her decision. She pulled back from Haley and took her face in her hands.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey," called Brooke, trying to get Haley's attention. She finally got her attention even though she was still crying slightly. "Listen to me, Haley. You listening?" Haley nodded. "I'm leaving tonight, going to Savannah or somewhere." Haley stared at her with a blank look on her face. "And you're coming with me."  
  
"What?" Haley asked in confusion. "We're leaving?"  
  
"Yep, come on," Brooke urged tugging Haley up and helping her over to the car. "We'll go by your house, get your stuff and leave. Leave Tree Hill behind."  
  
"And Nathan?" Haley asked. "Leave Nathan behind?"  
  
"Is that what you want?" Haley nodded. "Than that's what we'll do." Brooke started the car and drove in the direction of Haley's house.  
  
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TBC?  
  
You tell me. I know it's nothing special, or orginal for that matter, but I just felt like writing it. Please tell me what you think, but like I said before, please be nice. Peace. 


	2. Just Wanted To Say Goodbye

Author's Note: Hey, guys! Glad that you liked it and thanks so much for the replies. Very much appreciated. Hope you like the second chapter as much as the first. It's a little longer, but not much. Please review again to tell me what you think. Thanks.  
  
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Brooke pulled the car into Haley's driveway and turned it off. She noticed just then that every time she drives past the James house there is never a car in the driveway. She frowned at the thought and made a mental note to asked Haley about it later. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and followed Haley into the house. As they entered, Brooke looked around. It was a nice house, bigger than most in Tree Hill, but still smaller than her's or Nathan's. She had had only ever been in Haley's house once before, back when she was dating Lucas, before he cheated on her with her best friend. A sour look crossed her face at the thought of their old love triangle. She shook her head and realized that they were now in Haley's room.  
  
"How much should I bring?" Haley asked as she pulled out her suitcase from underneath her bed. Without waiting for an answer, she moved over to her closet to start gathering her clothes. Brooke stood in the doorway, watching her in daze. She blinked a couple times, realizing Haley had asked her a question.  
  
"Oh, sorry," she mumbled, moving into the room and sitting down on the bed. "I brought at least ten different outfits, but that's just me. You know I can't live without my clothes." Haley nodded and out her six favorite tops in the suitcase before going to get pants.  
  
"That suitcase covers clothes,' she announced, shoving the last pair of jeans into it and setting it on the floor. She went back to closet and got another one. "What else will I need?"  
  
"I brought makeup and stuff like that," Brooke said, standing up to help her pack. "Random things that are important to me. Pictures, letter, CDs." Haley nodded again and started gathering makeup and filling up the second suitcase, She grabbed some pictures that were on her night stand, ripped some of the ones of her family off the wall and added them in.  
  
"Should I bring my laptop?" she asked Brooke, noticing the compact computer sitting on her desk. "We probably won't be able to use it for all, what with the paying of bills and all, but..." Brooke nodded.  
  
"Yeah, we could use it to find an apartment or whatever," the cheerleader suggested. Haley closed the lid and placed it carefully in her first suitcase, that way it wouldn't get damaged. She looked around her room for anything else she might want to take with her. Other than the guitar sitting in the corner by the door, she had everything she needed. "Ready?"  
  
"Just give me a minute," Haley sighed. She looked around the room one last time. She couldn't believe she was actually leaving. She had lived there all her life and she had some many good memories there. Brooke saw the sad look on her face and laid a supportive hand on her back.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Brooke asked, not wanting her to feel like she had to come. Just because Brooke was okay with leaving didn't mean that Haley would be. "You don't have to come with me if you aren't ready. I just thought..."  
  
"No, no, I'm ready. I need this," Haley assured her. "I just wanted to make sure I had everything." Brooke nodded even thought she knew that Haley wasn't a hundred percent about it, despite what she may say. Haley spotted a hoody lying over the chair at her desk. She stared at it for a moment. Brooke followed her gaze and smiled. "Take it." Haley snapped out her trace and glanced at Brooke, shaking her head.  
  
"No, I'm supposed to be leaving him..."  
  
"Take it," Brooke repeated. "I'm taking one of Luke's with me. It's only fair." She gave her a supportive smile and Haley gave in. She grabbed the hoody and shoved it in her open suitcase. "Now are you ready?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm ready." Brooke grabbed one of the suitcases while Haley took the other one and her guitar. They walked down the stairs and out of the house, locking the door on the way out. They put the luggage in the back with Brooke's and the guitar in the trunk.  
  
"Let the road trip begin," Brooke cheered as the girls got in the car. Haley laughed at the excited girl. Brooke started the car and pulled out of the driveway. After a few minutes of silence, Haley just had to ask the question that had been bugging her ever since the Rivercourt.  
  
"Hey, Tigger?" Brooke gave her a quick glance indicating that she was listening. "Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Why are you doing this for me?" Haley asked. "I mean I always thought you hated me. It just doesn't make sense."  
  
"I never hated you, Tutor Girl," Brooke began. "I was a little jealous of you at first, you just seemed to have everything, but I never hated you. What made you think that?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe when you humiliated me in front of the whole basketball and cheerleading team," Haley answered, pretending to be mad. Truth be told, she had gotten over that a long time ago. "Or maybe the fact that you can never seem to call me by my name. Seriously, is it that hard to remember?"  
  
"No, it's not, Haley," she said, stressing the girl's name to get her point across. Haley frowned and looked out the window at all the familiar scenery of Tree Hill. She sighed.  
  
"Then why do you always call me Tutor Girl?" It was Brooke's turn to sigh. She couldn't tell if Haley was serious or not. She risked a glance at her partner and frowned whens he saw Haley looking out the window.  
  
"I don't know," she shrugged. "When I call you that I don't mean it to offend you or anything. I just like having a special name for you. Something that only we share. Makes me feel like we're actually friends, you know?" Haley smiled slightly at the answer. "If you want me to stop, I will."  
  
"No, it's cool," Haley assured her. "As long as you don't mind me calling you Tigger." Brooke laughed. She secretly liked the fact that Haley has a nickname for her. It made her feel...accepted somehow. And she loved the name Tigger. It was much more creative than Tutor Girl.  
  
"It's a deal," Brooke agreed. Haley smiled and went back to scenery watching. She just happened to look out the window when they drove past the Café.  
  
"Hey, stop here for a minute," she ordered, Brooke slammed on the brakes, stopping the car. "Wait here, I'll be right back." Haley started to get out.  
  
"What are you..." Brooke began, but stopped when the passenger door slammed shut. She watched Haley run towards the Café and sighed. She leaned back and tried to figure out what exactly they were going to do when they got to wherever the hell it was they were going. Haley opened the door to the Café, glad that Karen was the only one there. Karen stood behind the counter, counting the money. She didn't bother to look up when the door opened.  
  
"Sorry, we're closed," she said. After Haley didn't respond Karen glanced up to see who it was. "Oh, hi, sweetie. What are you doing here?"  
  
"I just wanted to say goodbye," Haley stated, still standing in the middle of the room. Karen looked at her in confusion as she stepped out from behind the counter. She took off her apron and draped it over a stool.  
  
"Goodbye?" she repeated. "Baby, what are you talking about? Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm leaving," she explained bluntly. She saw that Karen was about to ask her something. "For good. I'm leaving Tree Hill tonight."  
  
"You can't," Karen argued, stepping closer to the girl that she always considered to be her daughter. "You can't leave."  
  
"I have to."  
  
"No you don't," Karen replied. "What...what about Nathan and Lucas? They need you very much." She was desperately trying to think of a way to make her stay. "And your parents?"  
  
"They're never her, you know that," Haley countered. Whenever Haley's parents went away, which was all the time, Karen would insist that Haley stay at their house. "And believe me when I tell you that Nathan doesn't need me. And Luke...he hasn't need me for a while. He'll survive, he's a big boy."  
  
"And me?" Karen questioned. "What am I supposed to do? Do you expect me to just stand here and watch as my child leaves me?" Karen was crying at this point. Haley closer her eyes, trying not to let the pain in Karen's voice affect her. She had to stay strong.  
  
"Yes," she finally choked out, the tears starting to fall. "I love you, Karen. You're more of a mother to me than my mom could ever be, but I have to go. I need this."  
  
"But Haley..."  
  
"Please, Karen," she begged, not being able to stand seeing the woman in front of her crying. "I've already made up my mind. I just wanted to say goodbye to me mom before I left." Karen stepped forward and brought Haley into her arms. "Goodbye, mom. I love you."  
  
"I love you, too, baby," Karen cried. After a moment Haley pulled out of the embrace, wiping her face, Karen looked into her eyes and realized that nothing she said was going to change her mind. She walked back over to the counter, reached around the cash register and pulled out three hundred bucks. Haley shook her head when she realized what Karen was doing. "Here, take this."  
  
"No, Karen," Haley refused. "I can't take that."  
  
"Please, Haley," Karen begged. "It would make me feel better." Haley, never being able to refuse her, slowly nodded her head. Karen handed her the money and she put in into her pocket. They hugged again. "Thank you." Karen leaned in and kissed Haley on the forehead. "Goodbye, Haley." They disengaged. Not knowing what else to say, Haley turned and walked out the door. She ran over to the waiting car across the street and jumped in. Brooke opened her eyes and looked over at Haley, noticing the tears in her eyes.  
  
"We still going?" she asked, sensing that Haley might have changed her mind for some reason. Haley stared at the Café for a moment before taking a deep breath and turning to Brooke.  
  
"Yeah," she decided. "Let's go." Without any further questions, Brooke started the car and they drove off into the night.  
  
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That's it for now. Hope you like it. Please tell me what you think. It would mean a lot to me. Thanks for reading my little story. I'm outtie. 


	3. Because I'm Broken Too

Author's Note: Hello again. Once again, thanks for the reviews, I'm glad to hear that you all like my story. I hope to be able to update this story daily or at least every other day, we'll have to see. It'll depend on the reviews I get. Well, I know how I wasn't the last scene to be, but I still have no idea what's going to happen in this chapter as I write this. Well, I guess it's time to figure it out, here we go...  
  
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Haley was going out of her mind as she stared out the window of Brooke's car, watching the things speed by outside. Tree, big tree, smaller tree, sign, pole. Tree, big tree, smaller tree, sign...you get the point? She was bored. This big road trip was starting out to be bogus. She found this weird, considering the last time they had been in the same car together, they had had a blast. Well she did anyway; Brooke was pretty out of it. Haley had to smile at the thought of Brooke when she was drugged, she was hilarious. Haley, believe it or not was able to tear herself away from the eye-catching scenery of Charleston to look at Brooke. She studied her for a moment before a thought popped into her mind. Why was Brooke leaving? Haley realized that she had never asked her about it, just kind of accepted the invitation and went along with her. Brooke had been planning on leaving before she came to the Rivercourt, so it wasn't just a favor to her. Haley knew why she was leaving Tree Hill, knew what she was leaving, but what was Brooke running from? Deciding she didn't want to create any tension when they were trapped in such a small area, she made a mental note to ask Brooke about it when they got there. Wherever the hell there was.  
  
"Whatcha' thinking about, Tutor Girl?" Brooke asked without taking her eyes off the road. The sudden question brought Haley out of her thoughts. She shook her head to clear it and Brooke had to laugh at the confused look on the girl's face.  
  
"What?" Haley questioned. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red as she realized she got caught. Seeing the girl blush just caused Brooke to laugh even more.  
  
"I just asked what you were thinking about?" Brooke repeated, throwing a quick glance Haley's way. "Steam was coming out of your eyes." Haley smiled at her mistake.  
  
"Ears," she corrected. Brooke rolled her eyes; she was always saying phases wrong. She never let it get her down though, she just thought of it as putting her own little Brooke Davis stamp on it.  
  
"Elephant, monkey, whatever," she sighed, with a smirk. Haley raised her eyebrows, now completely lost at what the cheerleader was saying.  
  
"Your brain isn't even connected to your mouth, is it?"  
  
"You know, you're not the first person to ask me that." Both girls laughed and decided to end the wittless banter. "You still haven't answered my first question," Brooke pointed out. Haley tried to think back to what she asked.  
  
"Which was what again?" Brooke let out a dramatic sigh.  
  
"What where you thinking about before? You looked like you were trying to find the square root of..." Brooke tried to think of a big number. "576 or something."  
  
"24," Haley stated quickly with a cocky smirk. Brooke fake leered at her.  
  
"Stop doing that, Avoid-y Girl," Brooke complained. "What were you thinking about?" Haley tried to think of something quick. She really didn't want to have this conversation in a moving vehicle, especially with Brooke driving. Brooke could tell that Haley was trying to think of a lie to tell her. "Nathan?"  
  
"Uh....yeah," Haley stuttered. "Yeah, I was thinking about Nathan." Haley caught Brooke giving her a look that said 'let's talk'. Deciding she didn't feel think talking about him either, she quickly continued. "But I'm not anymore. Nope, no Nathan on Haley's mind anymore. I'm Scott free. Haha, get it? Scott... free..." Brooke was staring at her. Haley bowed her head. "Stopping now."  
  
"Okay, if you say so," Brooke replied, amused at the other girl's nervous babbling. Haley, who was even more embarrassed than when they started the conversation, decided to play it safe and look back out the window again. Tree, big tree, smaller tree, sign, pole. Haley sighed. "How long until we get there?" Brooke shrugged. "Where is there?"  
  
"I don't know yet," she answered. Haley looked back out the window. Tree, big tree, smaller tree, gas station...  
  
"Hey, why don't we stop at that gas station?" Haley suggested. "We can ask them if they know of any half decent motels around here."  
  
"Good idea." Brooked flicked on her turning signal even though they hadn't seen a car for the past hour. She turned and pulled into the gas station. "We need gas anyway." They pulled up to a spot and turned off the car. Neither moved to get out.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Haley questioned when she saw that Brooke wasn't getting out of the car. "I thought we needed gas?"  
  
"We do," Brooked confirmed, looking over at the girl beside her. Haley gave her a questioning look. "I'm scared." Haley rolled her eyes and opened her door to get the gas. Brooked smiled innocently at her and stayed in the car. While Haley was filling the tank, Brooke pulled out her cell to check her messages. She had one new text message from Peyton asking her where she was. Brooke stared blankly at the screen, thinking about her best friend. Was she doing the right thing? Leaving? Before she could et to cuaght up she was startled out of her thoughts by a knock at her window. She calmed down when she realized it was only Haley. She rolled down the window. "What?"  
  
"I'm done," she informed her. Brooke continued to stare at her. "I'm not paying. Get your ass out here and go pay." Haley noticed the strange look on her friend's face and glanced at the phone in her hand. "Whatcha doing?" Brooke quickly closed the phone and put it in her purse.  
  
"Nothing," she lied, grabbing the keys and getting out. She closed the door. "How much did you get?" Haley gave her a confused look. "Gas. How much was the gas?"  
  
"Oh, I just got twenty bucks." Haley noticed that Brooke left her purse in the car. "Aren't you going to pay?"  
  
"No, we need to save as much money as we can so we can get a motel room." Brooke looked into the pay booth and smiled when she say it was a young guy. She gave Haley a confidant smile and began walking over to the booth.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Saving money," she giggled. Haley watched as Brooke sauntered up to the booth and began to flirt with the guy. She shook her head and got into the car to wait. She didn't want to have anything to do with corrupting America's youth. Two minutes later, a very proud Brooke got into the car. She started the car and glanced at Haley. "And you were gonna pay," she huffed. Haley rolled her eyes and they continued on their journey.  
  
"So, did he know any places near by?" Haley asked. Brooked nodded and handed her a piece of paper with an address on it. The writing was all shaky. Haley smirk at it, knowing the guy must have been really nervous in front of Brooke. "How close is this?"  
  
"He said it was just up this road," Brooke replied, reading all the street signs, looking for the one that said Bailey. She spotted it. "Oh, here it is." As soon as they turned the corner they could see the big lit up sign that said 'Motel'. They pulled into the driveway and got out, locking the doors so no one could steal their stuff. They decided to leave it in the car, not wanting to bother since it was just one night. Brooke's face lit up when she saw the young guy at the counter. She went to move forward, but Haley grabbed her shirt and pulled her back.  
  
"We're paying for the room," she warned her. Brooke pouted.  
  
"Ah, come on, Tutor Girl. Let me have my fun," Brooke begged, giving Haley the puppy dog eyes. Haley continued to give her a stern look. Finally, seeing that she wasn't going to get what she wanted, Brooke sighed and nodded her head. "Fine, we'll pay." Haley smirked and let her go. Brooke gave her a dirty look and went to get them a room.  
  
"Hi, welcome to the..."  
  
"One room, two beds, queen sized if available," she ordered, suddenly not in the mood to chat anymore. What fun was it if she couldn't flirt? She watched the guys type something into the computer and then grab them a key. He handed it to her and took her money.  
  
"Room 17," he told her. "Just go out the door and turn left. It's like the fifth door." Without even a 'thank you' she turned and walked back to Haley.  
  
"There. Happy?" Brooke asked, pretending to be mad. Haley rolled her eyes at her again and grabbed the keys, leading the way to their room. Haley opened the door and flicked on the lights. It was nothing special; two beds, a bathroom, TV and a desk, standard motel room. They walked in and closed the door. "I call the bed closest to the bathroom." Brooke walked over the bed and flopped down on it.  
  
"Shouldn't we have brought a change of clothes in?" Haley asked, sitting down on her bed. Brooke groaned.  
  
"I'm too tired to care," she stated, crawling up to the top of the bed and laying back down, apparently too tired to get under the covers too. Haley nodded and got up to turn off the lights. Seeing what Brooke was doing, she sighed and walked over to the bed. She rolled Brooke over, pulled down the covers and the put them over her friend. Brooke showed no sign of argument. Haley pulled the covers back on her own bed and got in. They laid in silence for a few minutes. Haley looked over at Brooke's bed to see if she was sleeping. She couldn't see her.  
  
"Tigger?" Haley asked into the dark. It was a few moments until Brooke answered.  
  
"Yeah?" Haley could tell that she was on the verge of sleep. She was in between the realms of reality and dreams.  
  
"Why did you leave Tree Hill?" Haley finally asked. "We both know why I left, but why did you leave?"  
  
Brooke laid there on her back in the dark, staring at the ceiling. She knew that question was coming. She was actually surprised Haley hadn't asked earlier. She thought about what her life was like back in Tree Hill or what was left or it. Just three months ago she had everything, now she had nothing. No boyfriend, no best friend, not even a frickin' cheerleading trophy. Nothing. She used to be somebody, somebody important. Now she was just a joke, a charity case for the whole town to pity. Everyone knew that her parents didn't care, it certainly wasn't a secret. Her life was just a shell of what it used to be. She needed to get out, start over. There was nothing left for her in Tree Hill. She laid there in the dark and continued to stare up at the ceiling. She sighed.  
  
"Because I'm broken, too," she finally answered in a quiet voice. Haley seemed to accept her answer since she didn't say anything else. Brooke turned her back to the girl beside her and closed her eyes. Soon sleep overcame them.  
  
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That's all for now folks. I hope you liked it. Please drop me a line to tell me what you think. Thanks for reading. See you on the flip side. 


	4. You Just Cost Me My Friend

Author's Note: Hello all! I figured that since we have had three chapters with only Brooke and Haley in them (and a brief appearance from Karen) it was time to see what's going on back in Tree Hill to see what everyone else is up to. This will take place the next morning, so we can see what everyone's reactions are. Well, maybe not everyone's, I'll see if I can work them in. Anyway, I'm hoping I'll be able to give Nathan what he deserves in this chapter, but we'll have to wait and see. Okay, so here's the next chapter...  
  
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Karen Roe stood behind the counter of her Café in a daze. She had been standing there for the last ten minutes, cleaning the exact same spot. She wasn't able to sleep at all last night, she was too busy worrying about Haley to relax enough to sleep. She was also trying to figure out what had made her feel she had to go. Karen tried to think of anything in the recent past that may have caused Haley pain. She couldn't think of anything that would cause Haley to leave. She sighed and looked around the almost empty restaurant. She was glad that Luke was on vacation with Keith this week, she was dreading telling him that his best friend had left. She knew he would be devastated. God, what was she going to say to him? Well, at least she had an entire week to think of what to say. She snapped out of her trance when she heard the door open. She looked up to see Peyton walking up to her. She had a smile on her face.  
  
"Hi, Peyton," she greeted her as Peyton stood in front of the counter. "What can I get you?" Karen was glad to have something to take her mind of Haley.  
  
"I was wondering if you knew were Brooke was?" Peyton asked her. Karen tried to think of the last time she had seen her son's ex-girlfriend. "I know she comes in here a lot to talk to you. I was just wondering if she came in here yesterday or this morning?"  
  
"I haven't seen her this morning, but she might have come in yesterday," Karen answered. "I'm not sure, I wasn't here yesterday." Peyton nodded her head.  
  
"Okay, then I'll just ask Hales," Peyton decided. Karen's face fell when she heard her name, but Peyton didn't seem to notice. "I think she was working yesterday. Is she working today?"  
  
"Uh, Peyton," Karen began. Peyton heard the tone in her voice right away. "Haley left." Peyton didn't fully understand what she was saying, but she nodded.  
  
"Okay, I'll go by her house and ask her," Peyton replied. "That way if she doesn't know where Brooke is, we can go to the mall or something." She started to back away.  
  
"No, Peyton. Haley left," Karen repeated. Peyton looked at her in confusion.  
  
"What do you mean she left? She's at home?"  
  
"No, she left Tree Hill," Karen explained. Peyton's face fell. She walked back over to the counter and sat on a stool. Karen looked at her in sympathy. Peyton sat there for a moment and tried to wrap her head around it.  
  
"For good?" Karen bowed her head and nodded.  
  
"That's what she said," Karen answered. "She came by last night after closing. She just told me she was leaving."  
  
"Did she say why?" Peyton asked, also trying to think of any reason Haley might have to leave. She, like Karen, came up with nothing. Karen shook her head and shrugged.  
  
"She just said she had to go. Didn't say why," Karen replied in sadness. "Can you think of any reason she might leave? I tried to think of something, but I came up empty."  
  
"I don't know." Peyton stood up. "But I know someone who might. I'll come back and tell you if I find out anything." She turned around and jogged out the door, passing Jake and Jenny on the way out. "Hi Jake. Bye, Jake."  
  
"Nice to talk to you, too," he called out to her as he walked into the Café. "What was that about? Where's she off to in such a hurry?"  
  
"Off to find some answers about Haley," Karen answered, taking off her apron. She looked at her watch to see that it was only eight in the morning. This was going to be a long day. At least she could finally take a break now the Jake was here.  
  
"What's up with Haley?" he asked, setting Jenny's carrier on the counter. He grabbed his apron and began to put it on. He looked around and was surprised to find it so empty.  
  
"She left last night." Jake stopped his movements and looked up at Karen in surprise.  
  
"For good?" Karen nodded. "Why would she do that?"  
  
"That's the million dollar question."  
  
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Peyton pulled up to an empty spot and turned off the car. She got out and walked up the stairs, hoping she remembered which apartment was Nathan's. She found the one she was sure was his and knocked on the door. She knew that he was probably still sleeping, but she figured that he was the only one that might have any answers. After about a minute she heard movement inside. The door opened and there stood a blonde chick.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked, in a tired voice. Peyton looked her up and down. She wasn't wearing anything, but a bed sheet she was holding around herself.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Peyton apologized, thinking she had the wrong the apartment. "I think I have the wrong place. I was looking for Nathan Scott." The girl nodded her head.  
  
"Then you're in the right place." She opened the door further to reveal Nathan standing in the doorway of his bedroom in just his boxers. Peyton looked at the blonde then back to Nathan. It wasn't long before she put two and two together. She stared down Nathan. The blonde looked between them. "Are you his girlfriend or something? Cause he kept talking about this whiny chick that he was playing." Peyton broke her staring contest with Nathan to look at the blonde.  
  
"If you want to keep the pretty hair of yours, I suggest that you leave. Now," she warned her. The girl looked over at Nathan, who wasn't saying anything. He didn't meet her gaze. "You're not gone yet."  
  
"Um, excuse me. Who do you think you..." Peyton pushed her outside and slammed the door in her face. She turned back to Nathan, ignoring the girl banging on the door. "Can I at least have my clothes?!"  
  
"Who the hell was that?" Peyton demanded, stepping forward. Nathan rubbed his head and didn't look at her.  
  
"Just some chick I met at a party," he answered, turning around and going into his room to get dressed, Peyton following right behind him. He turned around to look at her. "Do you mind? I'm getting dressed."  
  
"I don't care right now," she snapped at him. "What was she doing here, Nate?" He cringed when she said his name like that; she only called him that when she was really pissed off at him. He rolled his eyes at her.  
  
"If you can't figure that out, you really haven't gotten any in a long time."  
  
"What were you thinking?" He pulled in his pants. "How could you do that to Haley? I thought you loved her?" He laughed.  
  
"Maybe I should go into acting. Apparently she thought so too." Peyton had to suppress the urge to smack him because he was the kind of guy who would hit her back.  
  
"How can you say that?" Peyton spat at him. "You too were in love! How could you cheat on her?" Nathan shook his head before he pulled a shirt on.  
  
"God, you two sound exactly alike," he told her. He pushed past her and walked into the kitchen. "I heard all of this last night for her, okay? I really don't need to hear it again, thank you."  
  
"Last night?" Peyton repeated. Everything finally clicked in her head. "She caught you with her, didn't she? That's why she left." Nathan stopped what he was doing when he heard her.  
  
"She left?" he asked her. Peyton nodded.  
  
"Yeah," she said. "And right now, I don't really blame her. You're an ass Nathan." She started to walk to the door, but he caught her arm.  
  
"Why do you care so much, anyway?" he asked her. "You come charging in here and throw out my date and yell at me! It's not like I cheated on you!"  
  
"No," Peyton whispered. "You just cost me my friend." She pulled her arm out of his grasped and walked out the door, pushing the blonde out of her way on the way out.  
  
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That's it for now. I hope you guys still like it. I know some of you probably wanted to know what Luke's reaction was gonna be, but I haven't thought of that yet. I think we're gonna check in on Tigger and Tutor Girl next chapter, but tell me if you think I should write more about what's going on in Tree Hill or if I should stick to the runaways. Please tell me what you think. Thanks for reading. I'm outtie. 


	5. Forever and For Always

Author's Note: Well, hello all! Thanks to all of you who have review, you know who you are. It means a lot to me that you all like my story. Just so you know, I try to take into consideration all of your ideas and if I can work it in somewhere, I'll do it. Also, just for the record, this is NOT a Naley! I will never, ever write one of those. There isn't really any pairing in this fic, despite what may happen in this chapter. Anyway...here you go...  
  
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"Come on, Tigger," Haley called when she came out of the bathroom to find that Brooke was still in bed. "It's really time to get up now. Don't you want to shower before we head out again?" She heard Brooke moan, but it was muffled because she was face down in her pillow.  
  
"No," was the final answer Haley received. Shaking her head, she stalked over to Brooke's bed. She grabbed a hold of the girl's pillow.  
  
"Well, I would appreciate it." She pulled the pillow out from underneath the sleeping girl. She heard Brooke whining and smirked. She hit her over the head with the pillow. "Get your lazy ass out of this bed." Brooke turned over on her side, her back facing Haley.  
  
"Five more minutes," she mumbled, creating a pillow with her arms. Haley shook her head and pulled the covers off the cheerleader. Brooke let out a cry of protest.  
  
"I took your pillow and your covers," Haley informed her. "You know what's next. Do you want me to get the water?" Brooke shook her head slightly, but made no movement to get up. "Tigger, let's go!"  
  
"Please, Tutor Girl," Brooke begged. "Just five more minutes and I'll get up. I promise." Haley thought about it and rolled her eyes. She threw the pillow on top of the girl's head and put the covers back on her.  
  
"Fine," she gave in. "I'm going to get us some breakfast. You can sleep till then, but then you have to get up and get showered." She walked around the bed to get her shoes on. She could see Brooke had a big smile on her face.  
  
"I love you, Haley," she cheered. Haley smiled at her and grabbed her coat. She took some money that Brooke had left on the nightstand and slipped it in her pocket.  
  
"I'll be back in a few," Haley said to her friend, but got no response because Brooke was already fast asleep again. She sighed and walked out the door. She hoped it wasn't going to be like this for the rest of their lives, Haley trying to get Brooke to do something and Brooke whining to get out of it. Probably. Something hit Haley as she walked across the parking lot to get to the Denny's across the street. She was going to be spending the rest of her life with Brooke. While, maybe not the rest of her life, but probably at least a good year or two with her. Who would have thought that Haley 'Tutor Girl' James and Brooke 'Tigger' Davis would be starting a new life together? Not her for sure. She smiled as she thought of how Luke would react to this news. He probably wouldn't believe it. She was so lost in the thought that she didn't see the person standing in front of her until it was too late.  
  
"Oh, God, I'm sorry," she mumbled to the guy she bumped into. When he turned around she couldn't believe her eyes. "Luke?"  
  
"Hales?" he said, just as shocked as she was. "What are you doing in here?" He was here with Keith, helping him get settle for his first week. She looked around the restaurant.  
  
"They do serve food here right?" she asked, trying to avoid the question. She cursed herself at her efforts. There was no point, she sucked at this. He shook his head.  
  
"I mean here, here," he tried to clarify. "In Charleston?" Haley searched her brain for something to say, but came up with nothing. He was going to find out sooner or later, might as well be sooner. She sighed and pulled him out of the ordering line. He saw the look on her face. "Hales, what's going on?"  
  
"I left Tree Hill," she stated, deciding it was best not to drag this out. Her heart nearly broke when she saw the look on his face. "I'm so sorry, Luke."  
  
"Left?" he repeated. She nodded. "As in never going back?" Again she nodded.  
  
"Yeah, pretty much," she answered, lowering her head. She couldn't stand the sad look in his eyes. "I had to get out of there. Start everything over, it's for the best."  
  
"How could leaving me be for the best?" he demanded. "How can you just up and leave your best friend like that? And your family? What about my mom, Haley? She loves you so much."  
  
"I know," she tells him. "I said goodbye to her last night. She was the only one that I told I was leaving." She took his hands in hers. "She accepted it, Luke. Why can't you?"  
  
"Why do you think, Hales?" he asked rhetorically. "Maybe because you're my best friend? Or maybe it's because I love you so much? I don't know. I'm just crazy like that."  
  
"Luke, come on..."  
  
"No, Haley." He pulled his hands out of her grip. "I won't come on. You can't just drop a bomb like this on me and expect me to just accept the fact that my best friend is leaving me!"  
  
"Well, you know what, Luke?" Haley yelled back at him. "You're just going to have to accept it! There's nothing you can say that's going to make me go back there. So you can either accept it and get a phone call every once in a while or you can be a big baby about it and never hear from me again!" She turned around to leave, but stopped when she felt Luke grab her arm. She slowly turned around to face him. He had a sorry look on his face.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry," he said softly. "I overrated. This just sort of came out of left field, you know? You seemed so happy. What happened?" She closed her eyes. She didn't know what to tell him. She was sure if she told him the truth he would flip out and go beat up Nathan, which actually didn't seem like such a bad thing at the moment. She frowned. Might as well just tell him everything.  
  
"If I tell you, do you promise not to go and kill anybody?" Lucas balled up his fists, knowing by the tone of her voice that this had something to do with his little brother. Haley saw how he was reacting. "Lucas?"  
  
"I promise," he said, through clenched teeth.  
  
"I found Nathan in bed with some blonde chick," she began. She was about to continue when Luke sprang forward.  
  
"I'll kill him." She put her hands on his chest.  
  
"You promised."  
  
"I lied," he stated, still struggling against her. He looked down into her eyes and saw the pleading in them. Reluctantly he gave it up. "Can I at least beat him up when I get back?" Haley thought about it and smiled.  
  
"I guess that would be all right." Luke could hear the sadness still in her voice and it broke his heart. He hated to see his best friend in any sort of pain. He opened up his arms for her and she eagerly sought their comfort. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head.  
  
"It's okay, sweetie," he whispered to her. She closed her eyes, dreading the next part. He felt her tense up right away.  
  
"There's more," she said, barely audible as her face was buried in his chest.  
  
"Of course there is," he mumbled. If he was willing to admit it to himself, he already knew what she was going to say. He held on to her tighter.  
  
"I'm pregnant." Luke shut his eyes at her words. There was a mixture of anger, worry and jealousy. He was angry at Nathan for ruining Haley's life, he was worried that this would destroy Haley and he was jealous because...well, he wasn't really sure why he was jealous.  
  
"Does he know?" Haley, not trusting her own voice, nodded. The anger in Lucas began to rise. "Let me guess, he followed in daddy dearest's foot steps?"  
  
"If that means that he doesn't want anything to do with it, then..." Luke shook his head and just held her tighter. Haley started to cry. "Why doesn't he love me? I thought he did. He told me!"  
  
"He's an idiot, Hales," he told her. "If he can't see what an amazingly beautiful person you are, inside and out, then he's an idiot."  
  
"You really think so?"  
  
"Definitely." Luke pulled back and cupped her cheek, wiping away the stray tears with his thumb. "You, Haley James, are the most amazing person on the face of this planet. You deserve to be happy. Even if that means leaving Tree Hill."  
  
"You mean you're okay with me leaving?" she asked in surprise. He smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead softly.  
  
"All I ever want is for you to be happy," he told her. She broke out into a teary smile and hugged him again.  
  
"I love you," she confessed. "You are by far the best Scott brother. I always thought so. Even before all of this happened."  
  
"Well, anyone could see that," he teased her. She giggled and pulled away to look him in the eyes. "Are you sure this is what's best? Leaving everything behind?"  
  
"I have to do this, Lucas," she replied in a determined voice. Luke nodded, deciding that he wasn't going to be able to change her mind.  
  
"I love you, Hales," he said. "Forever and for always." She didn't know what came over her or what she was thinking, but she didn't care. She reached up and kissed him. Sure, they had kissed before, but this time was different. They could both feel it. After a minute passed, Haley pulled away. Luke had a shocked look on his face as he brought a hand up to touch his lips.  
  
"Goodbye, Luke," she whispered before turning and walking out of the restaurant and out of his life forever.  
  
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That's all for now. Hope you guys liked it. Please tell me what you think of it. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Anyway, till next time, I'm outtie. 


	6. I'll See You Again

Author's Note: Hello, hello to all! How is everyone doing? Well, that's nice. Hope you all liked the last chapter, but I would just like to stress once again that this is not a Naley fic, or a Laley fic for that matter. There will be no 'ships of any kind in this story. The way I see it, there are enough of those out there, I'll leave it to the rest of you to write. Now, here's a little recap for those who seem to need it: Haley & Nathan broke up after he cheated on her, Haley is pregnant – Brooke, Lucas and Nathan are the only ones who know, Haley & Brooke have run away, everyone knows Haley is gone, but they don't realize Brooke is gone too. Just so you know, when they figure out that Brooke is gone as well, they won't know that Haley and Brooke are together. All caught up? Good. Here we go...  
  
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Haley couldn't believe what she had just done. Had she really just kissed her best friend? Yep, she sure did. She didn't know what had come over her, all of a sudden she just had this urge, this need, to kiss him. She didn't know where it came from, she had never really had any feelings for him before. Sure, she knew that he was gorgeous, not even she could deny that, but she just never felt it. It was just never there for her. It still wasn't. She shook her head, getting confused at her own actions. She tried to dig up her feelings, see if she suddenly had this unfrequented love for Lucas. Nope. There was nothing more than platonic love. She shrugged. Maybe it was just because she knew it was goodbye. She knew that she might never see him again, so she just kissed him. She just wanted their last memory to be a good one. She decided to push it to the back of her mind, deciding she would leave it there until a day far in the future, she had much too much to think about as it was. There was simply no time to deal with possible new romantic feelings towards her best friend. She opened up the door to her room and wasn't surprise to find Brooke exactly where she had left her.  
  
"Okay," she decided, kicking off her shoes and walking over to the bathroom. "I'm not playing around anymore." She turned on the tape and filled a Dixie cup with freezing cold water. "It's water time." Brooke, being asleep, didn't hear the warning and rolled over. Haley turned the tap off and stalked over to the bed. She waited a moment, giving Broke one last chance to wake up. Sensing that someone was standing over her, Brooke's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw upon awakening was Haley standing over her with a cup full of, what was no doubt cold water.  
  
"No, no, Tutor Girl, don't you dare," she warned, holding up her hands in defense. She slowly kicked off the covers. "See, I'm getting up now. No need to throw that one me." Haley smirked, trying to decide whether she should just do it anyway or not. Unfortunately, by the time she had decided she was going to throw it on her, Brooke was already standing up beside the bed. Brooke gave her a victorious smile. "Oh, too late!"  
  
"It's never too late," she told her. Haley lunged the small cup forward, but Brooke saw it coming and stepped out of the way and into the washroom. "Damn it! Now my shoes are all wet."  
  
"That's what you get," Brooke called from the bathroom, before turning the shower on. "I'll only be five minutes!" Haley looked around the room for something to do, and came up with nothing. There was the TV, but nothing good was on this early. There was a desk, but no computer. She sighed and laid back down on her bed. She listened to the faint sounds of Brooke singing from the shower. She smirked, evilly. She got off the bed and quietly slipped into the bathroom, praying that the other girl didn't hear her enter. She quickly turned on the tap and flushed the toilet before running back out. She laughed when she heard Brooke scream in surprise. "Ah, that's frickin' cold!"  
  
"That's what you get, Tigger!" Brooke turned of the shower and stepped out. She wrapped a towel around her slender body and stormed out into the room. Haley was too busy laughing to care that Brooke had a death stare on her face.  
  
"You think that's funny?" Haley nodded. Brooke tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't hold it in any longer. Haley's laugh was too cute to resist. Soon they were both giggling. When they calmed down, Brooke went back into the bathroom and changed.  
  
"Ready to go, Hales?" she asked, stepping out of the room to find Haley dressed and standing at the door. Haley nodded and opened the door. "Just give me another, kay? Just go and give the key to the guy and I'll meet you at the car." Haley nodded.  
  
"Sure, see you in a few," Haley said before walking out. Brooke waited until she was sure that Haley was gone before she moved to the top of the bed and picked up the phone. She glanced over at the clock and frowned when she saw it was almost ten. She shrugged and dialed her best friend's number anyway, hoping she was home. She waited patiently as the phone rang. Finally, after three rings, Peyton answered.  
  
"Hello?" Brooke closed her eyes when she heard her voice. "Hales, is that you?"  
  
"Hi, friend," she greeted her, hoping her voice was as light and airy as she had intended. She heard Peyton let out a breath. "What's up, P. Sawyer?"  
  
"Nothing," she answered, laying down her sketchbook and pen. She shifted on her bed so she was in a sitting position. "I was looking for you this morning, but I got sidetracked. I was kinda hoping Haley would call." Brooke thought about what to say. She decided to play dumb, which wasn't really much of a stretch for her.  
  
"What's wrong with Tutor Girl?" she asked, even though she knew better than anyone what was going on. Peyton sighed.  
  
"Karen told me she left last night."  
  
"Left?"  
  
"Yeah," Peyton answered. "She didn't say where she was going or why, but she isn't coming back. That much is clear." Brooke tried to think of what to say next that would comfort her friend, but not give them away.  
  
"She didn't tell Karen why she left?" Brooke bit her nails, nervously. She looked at the clock, checking to see how much time she had before she had to meet Haley outside. She twirled the cord around her index finger.  
  
"She didn't, but I found out after," Peyton informed, anger evident in her voice. "I went over to Nathan's to see if he knew why she left, but he was with some blonde."  
  
"Ouch," Brooke answered automatically. "So Haley saw them?"  
  
"That's what he said," she answered. "Listen, I doubt you wanna talk about Haley, I know you've always hated her."  
  
"I don't hate her!" Brooke exclaimed. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" Peyton was caught off guard by her outburst. "I mean, I don't hate her."  
  
"Okay," Peyton started in an unsure voice. She decided that a change in subject was in order. "So, what did you call for?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," Brooke stumbled, forgetting what she had originally called to tell her. Peyton could sense the tone in her voice.  
  
"Brooke, what's up?" Brooke took a deep breath. "Did you wanna come over and talk about it?"  
  
"I can't," she stated. "I'm not at home."  
  
"You aren't?" Peyton looked over at her caller ID, it said unknown caller. She stood up and began to pace. "Where are you? Are you at Theresa's or something? Do you need a ride somewhere?"  
  
"It's a funny story, really," Brooke started. She waited for Peyton to question her, but continued when she realized the blonde was waiting for her. "It seems me and Tutor Girl have more in common then I would've thought." She waited for Peyton to connect the dots.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Brooke bowed her head, disappointed that her friend wasn't able to figure it out on her own. "Did you hook up with a guy named James or something?" Brooke shook her head at Peyton's guess. Peyton was never going to get it at this rate. She sighed. It was now or never.  
  
"I left Tree Hill, too." Peyton stopped moving. She slowly sat back down on her bed. "I'm so sorry, Peyton."  
  
"Not you too," Peyton cried. It seemed like every time she turned around one of her best friends was gone. First it was Hales then Brooke. Before she knew it, everyone would be gone. "You're not coming back either, are you?"  
  
"I don't think so, sweetie," Brooke sighed. "I'll see you again, though. I promise. It just won't be any time soon. I need some time to figure out who I am again."  
  
"And you can't do that here?" Peyton asked. "You couldn't have at least said goodbye? At least Haley said goodbye to Karen before she left."  
  
"I was going to, but then I ran into..." she stopped herself before she said Haley. She didn't want her to know that Haley was with her. It might make her feel worse to know that they were together. "Until I drove by your house. I just couldn't bring myself to stop." She rolled her eyes at her lame cover up.  
  
"It still would have been nice to have a goodbye before hand and in person," the blonde complained. Brooke smiled at the whining tone in the girl's voice.  
  
"Don't be such a big baby," she teased. She figured she better get going before Haley came back in looking for her. "Listen, I'm sorry, but I really gotta go."  
  
"Wait, can I..."  
  
"I'll call you again in a few days when I get settled," she promised her. "I love you, Bye." She hung up the phone before she could hear Peyton's answer. She sat on the bed for a few moments, thinking about her decision and whether it was right or now. She looked down at her wrist and saw the bruises there and made up her mind. It was the right choice. She shook her head and stood up. She did one last check to make sure she had everything before walking out of the room, ready to start the journey ahead of them.  
  
OTH  
  
All done. Please tell me what you think, it really helps me out. See you on the flip side. 


	7. You're Gonna Be Fine

Author's Note: Hi, I'll keep it short this time; don't wanna keep you all waiting. I hope you liked my last chapter and I hope you'll like this one too. Just for the record, a lot of you seem to be confused, Brooke is not pregnant. There are far too many fic with both of them being pregnant so I wanted this one to be a little different. Well, here you go...  
  
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The sight that greeted Brooke when she stepped into the front lobby of the motel made her sick. She had left their room, expecting to find Haley standing impatiently beside her car and was surprised when she didn't see the girl at all. Assuming that she was still in the lobby for some reason, she had made her way into the building. She was more than a little shocked to find what she saw. A guy that worked there, not the same young guy from last night, had Haley's arms pinned above her head and her body forced up against the wall. By the look on Haley's face, Brooke knew that the action wasn't welcome. Her eyes were snapped shut and she looked to be fighting back tears. The guy began to run a hand up Haley's thigh while kissing her neck roughly. Brooke was finally brought out of her daze at the sound of Haley's pleading. Without giving it a second thought, Brooke rushed forward.  
  
"Get your hands off her!" she screamed, grabbing onto the guys arm and spinning him around. Even though Haley knew Brooke was there, her eyes remained shut because the guy still had her arms pinned to the wall.  
  
"Buzz off, Barbie," he grunted, giving her a look at said he would deal with her after he was done with Haley. Brooke, even more pissed off now, grabbed his arm with such strength, he was pulled away from Haley completely. He turned to her and let Haley slide to the ground. "May I help you?"  
  
"Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you kept your hands off of my friend," she answered sarcastically, frantically digging through her purse to find her pepper spray. The man advanced on her and she was no closer to finding her weapon. She began to grow frightened as he continued to get closer. The guy smirked at her fear.  
  
"I guess you should have thought about your actions a little more before you just start shooting your mouth off, huh?" Brooke was now backed into a wall, the man just a few inches away from her. She closed her eyes and waited for it to be over, just like she had done the last time. She flashed back to the night her step dad had come very close to raping her. In fact he probably would have succeeded if Luke hadn't come over to check on her at that exact moment. It was back during the pregnancy scare, he was just being the nervous father to be and coming to see if she needed anything. She could sure use her knight in shining armor right now. The guy took another step; they were now just an inch apart. "Now we can have a little three way fun."  
  
"I really don't think so," came Haley's shaky voice from behind him. He raised an eyebrow and turned his head, keeping his body facing Brooke. Haley was standing on steady legs, her arms shaking as she held onto her pocketknife she had on her key chain. Brooke totally forgotten, he turned his full attention back onto Haley. He held up his hands in a surrendering fashion.  
  
"Now, sugar, what do you think you're gonna do with that there knife?"  
  
"I was thinking of stabbing you with it," she answered, starting to get her control back again. Brooke slipped past the guy and moved beside Haley.  
  
"You wouldn't wanna do that," he said, trying to calm her down. Haley continued to hold the knife out, her hand no longer shaking. Brooke watched with frightened eyes as her friend threatened to kill some guy.  
  
"And why wouldn't I?" Haley questioned, taking a step forward. "You just violated me and came pretty close to doing the same with my friend. I'm really not seeing the bad in this." Brooke decided that she needed to put a stop to this before it got out of hand and Haley did something she would no doubt later regret.  
  
"Come on, Hales," Brooke spoke up suddenly, causing Haley to spin around. She now had the knife held up in front of Brooke. They both stood stock-still, afraid to move and to speak. Seeing this as his chance, the guy quickly slipped out the door. "Hales, sweetie, come on. He's gone, just put the knife down." Brooke held out her hand for Haley to put the knife into. Haley's hand began to shake again as she stared at the sharp object in her hand. Her lips began to quiver.  
  
"I was so scared," Haley choked out, tears making their way down her cheek.  
  
"I know, but he's gone now, sweetie," Brooke tried, sensing that it was safe to move forward. "Come on, just put the knife away. You're safe now."  
  
"He wouldn't stop," Haley cried, starting to bring her hand down. "His hands, they were everywhere at once." Brooke was now right in front of her. "No matter how hard I shut my eyes, they wouldn't stop." Haley began to fall to the floor, but Brooke caught her before she could make contact. The two of them sank to the floor together. Brooke ran a hand through Haley's hair, just letting the girl sob.  
  
"Sssshhhh," Brooke whispered, rubbing another hand over Haley's back. "I've got you, it's gonna be okay. You're gonna be fine." Haley held onto the her as if she was her lifeline.  
  
"Tigger?" she whispered out between sobs. Brooke continued to run her hands through her hair.  
  
"Yeah, baby?"  
  
"Is this the right thing to do?" she asked. "We've been gone for less than twenty four hours and look what happened. How are we supposed to last?"  
  
"We'll help each other," Brooke whispered back in a soothing voice. "Just like we did now. As long as we're together, we can do this." Haley's sobs were beginning to subside. She sniffled and pulled away to look at Brooke.  
  
"We'll fix each other?" she asked. Brooke smiled and wiped away a tear. She nodded.  
  
"That's exactly what we're gonna do," she confirmed. "You and me will be whole again in no time."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Pinky swear."  
  
OTH  
  
The girls had stayed on the floor of the lobby for another five minutes before a customer interrupted them. After they left the motel they stopped quickly at a McDonalds to get something to eat, Haley never did get them breakfast. Brooke was just finishing up her muffin when Haley finished her drink. They were currently on an unknown road, to them anyway, and trying to decide where they wanted to go, neither of them wanted to think about this morning. Haley pulled out the map that was stuffed inside the glove compartment.  
  
"Do we even know the general direction we wanna go?" Haley asked, looking over the map, trying to find where they were now.  
  
"Of course," Brooke sighed, throwing the rest of her muffin out the window. "I was thinking; away." Haley frowned.  
  
"Okay, let me just find that on the map," she shot back sarcastically. "Do we wanna go north or south?"  
  
"I'm not sure, it depends where we want to raise the baby," Brooke answered, trying to keep her eyes on the road. She had been in enough accidents to know better. Haley's brow scrunched up.  
  
"We?" Brooke glanced over at her passenger.  
  
"Well, yeah," she said. "We'll be living together, so I just figured I'd be helping out. Nathan not being around and all." Haley smiled at the offer, but frowned at the mention of the father. She nodded.  
  
"Thanks," she mumbled, turning back to the map. They both fell into silence, both thinking about Tree Hill and their own secret conversations with their best friend. After ten minutes, Brooke decided to break the silence.  
  
"So, I talked to Peyton this morning," she admitted, not sure how Haley would react. She was scared she might be mad that she got to talk to her best friend and she didn't. Haley turned to her, the map forgotten.  
  
"You did?" Brooke nodded. "Does everyone know?"  
  
"She said that Karen told her you were gone, but you didn't say why." The last part came out as more of a question than a statement. Haley played with the hem of her shirt.  
  
"She has always been so hard on us, Luke and I, about sex," Haley explained. "She didn't want us to make the same mistakes that she did, getting pregnant in her teens and all." Brooke nodded, letting her know that she understood what she was saying, knowing how she had reacted when Luke told her she was pregnant. "I just didn't want her to be disappointed in me." Haley shook her head. "So, what else did she say?"  
  
"Nothing much," she answered. "She went over to Nate's apartment and found the blonde slut there." Haley frowned. "By the sound of her voice, she gave them a piece of her mind." Haley smirked at that, picturing her friend yelling at them.  
  
"I didn't mention anything early cause I was afraid you'd be upset, but I ran into Lucas at Denny's this morning, when I was getting breakfast." To Haley's surprise, Brooke didn't seem that upset, but she didn't say anything either. Haley quickly continued. "I told him I left, but I didn't tell him you were with me, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to." Brooke shook her head.  
  
"I didn't tell Peyton we were together either," she replied. "So I guess it's our little secret."  
  
"I guess," Haley agreed. Brooke turned back to watching the road and Haley went back to reading the map. "So, New York or Florida?" Brooke thought about the choices. She always loved going to Florida on spring vacation, she loved the weather and the topless boys. She had never been to New York, but she always heard people say that you could get lost on its streets. There were so many lost people there, everyone just sort of got lost in the crowd. That feeling comforted Brooke, right now, that's exactly what she needed, to just be a face in the crowd.  
  
"New York," Brooke finally answered. "I've always wanted to see Time Square all lit up at night." Haley nodded and began to find the best route to New York.  
  
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That's all for now. Hope you all liked it and didn't find it too unbelievable. I really wanted to have something bad happen, but I wanted it to be more believable than some of the other stories out there, where someone gets shot out of nowhere. Please tell me what you think and before you ask, there will be more explanation about Brooke's encounter with her step father to come in later chapters, but I think it's time to go check up on good ol' Tree Hill, don't you? Once again, please give me some feedback to tell me what you think. I'll take everyone's suggestions into account. Till next time, I'm out. 


	8. She's All I Have

Author's Note: Hello again to everyone out there in computer land! Glad you decided to check back on this fic, I'll try not to disappoint you. If you can remember all the way back to the last chapter, I said that this one was going to be full of Tree Hill goodness, so that's just what it's gonna be. Hope that's okay with all of you, if it's not tell me and I'll work on it stat. I don't know if any f you are familiar with the Tangled Web Awards, but this fic is up for the Are You True Award, which is for best angst fic. I encourage you guys to check out the website There are a lot of great fics there. Anyway, on with the show....  
  
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Karen walked back into her Café at ten, looking no better than she had when she left. She was hoping that a little walk and fresh air would make her feel better, but turns out, no matter how far she walked or how much fresh air she inhaled, Haley was still gone. She sighed when she noticed that the Café was busier than it was earlier, she really wasn't in the mood to socialize with anybody. She walked over to the counter where Jake was serving a customer.  
  
"Did you want any coffee?" he asked the man sitting at the counter. The guy shook his head and continued to finish his beakfast. Jake handed him a napkin before turning to greet Karen. "Hi, Karen. How was your walk?"  
  
"A waste of time," she answered, moving to the back to grab an apron. She out it on and smiled at Jenny as she past her.  
  
"It didn't make you feel any better?" he asked her, taking his apron off. He was glad to finally get out of there. He'd been wanting to check on Peyton for the past three hours. He turned to check on Jenny, she was sleeping.  
  
"Not in the least," she mumbled, turning to a customer that was waiting to be served. "Can I help you?" she asked the woman standing there.  
  
"Does Jake work here?" she asked in a creepy voice. At the sound of her voice, Jake wiped around. "Never mind, I see him."  
  
"Nicki, what are you doing here?" he asked, instinctively picking Jenny up so she would be safe. "I thought I told you to stay away from me?" Karen watched the interaction with confusion, not knowing who this person was. She noticed that Jake had a protective hold on Jenny, so she assumed it was something big. Nicki shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"Oh, you did," she answered nonchalantly. "I'm not here to see you. I'm here to see my daughter." Karen's eyes widened as she said this. She had heard all about Jenny's mother, she just hadn't caught her name before. She had heard form Haley about what happened the last time they were together and she didn't want a repeat of it.  
  
"After the stunt you pulled at the mall, you're never seeing her again," he answered, forcefully. He picked up Jenny's carrier and began to walk to the door. If they were going to have a confrontation, he didn't want it to be in the Café, it would disturb the customers.  
  
"Do you want me to call somebody?" Karen called to Jake, not knowing what Nicki might do. If she had the nerve to kidnap Jenny while Peyton was babysitting, she would probably do anything.  
  
"Oh yeah, call his little girlfriend," Nicki answered, sarcastically. "She seems to think that she's involved in this."  
  
"Leave Peyton out of this," Jake warned. He turned back to Karen. "Don't worry about it, Karen. I'll deal with this." He put the carrier on the table and laid Jenny in it. Nicki walked over and tried to get a look at her daughter, but Jake quickly blocked her view. "Back off, Nicki. Or I will get Peyton and she can come and kick your ass again." He grabbed the carrier by the handle and moved to the door. "I'll be back in an hour."  
  
"Take as long as you need," Karen told him. Nicki looked around the Café.  
  
"The place doesn't look as good during the day," she mused before following Jake out the door. "Jake, where do you think you're going?"  
  
"I'm leaving," he answered. "I assumed you'd know what that looked like, you do it enough. Or at least you used to. Now you just can't seem to get lost." He began to walk away, but was stopped by the hand on his arm.  
  
"You can leave, but you're not leaving with my daughter."  
  
"Stop calling her that," he warned her. "She is not your daughter and you sure as hell aren't her mother. You haven't been since the moment she came out of you."  
  
"Well the family court of North Carolina seems to disagree," she stated. He stopped his movements at her comment. He turned around to face her.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asked in a shaky voice. It wasn't until then that Jake noticed the car parked on the road. He looked closer and saw that it looked like an undercover cop car. "What's going on?"  
  
"I'm here to take Jenny on our first supervised visit," she answered as the guy stepped out of the car. Jake looked frantically back and forth between the cop and Nicki. He tighten his grip on the carrier.  
  
"No," he said. "No, you can't take her. I wouldn't let you." He started to back away slowly. The man stepped over onto the sidewalk.  
  
"Well, if you don't, this nice man here in the pretty blue uniform will make you."  
  
"Sir, you have to hand over your daughter," he said to him. "The judge granted her a supervised visit with her daughter." Jake shook his head and pulled Jenny closer to him. He couldn't stand the thought of giving her to Nicki. He was beginning to panic and his vision was getting blurry. The cop stepped closer. "I'm sorry, son, but it's the law. If you don't give her your daughter now, I'll be force to take action."  
  
"I can't give Jenny to her," he argued. "You don't understand. She doesn't know what she's doing."  
  
"I'll be there," the cop answered. "I will be with them the entire time. Your daughter will be safe. I promise you." Jake didn't know what he could do. He looked over at a smiling Nicki, then at the cop and finally at his sleeping daughter. The officer held out his hand to take Jenny. "Make this easy on yourself." Not seeing anything other way, Jake handed the carrier over to the man.  
  
"If anything happened to her..."  
  
"Nothing will," the cop interrupted. "She will be given back to you by seven this evening." Jake nodded as he watched the cop hand Jenny over to Nicki. He had to look away when Nicki took Jenny out of the carrier and into her arms.  
  
"Hi there, beautiful," she cooed in a baby voice. "You ready to have a fun day out with your mommy?"  
  
"This isn't over Nicki," he told her. She rolled her eyes and kissed Jenny on the forehead.  
  
"We'll see about that," she replied. She turned to the officer. "Let's go." She put Jenny back in the carrier and place it in the back of the car. "See you around, Jake," she said before getting into the backseat with Jenny. The officer nodded in his direction before getting into the car and driving off. Jake watched Nicki drive away with his whole world. He reached up and wiped the tear off his check before he turned and continued his journey to Peyton's house.  
  
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Peyton sighed as she hung up her phone. He laid back on her bed in frustration. She hated it when people left her. When her mother died, she didn't know if she would ever be okay again. She assumed that was where he abandonment issues cam from. She was always afraid that she was going to be left behind. Her dad would leave her, Brooke and Haley would leave her, Luke... and Jake. She was afraid that she was going to be alone for the rest of her life. She glanced over and realized that her web cam was on. She reached over and unplugged it, not wanting anyone to see her cry. She picked up her sketch book and did what she always did when she was feeling bad, she began to draw. She turned the page she was drawing on before, it was a picture of Haley watching Nathan and the blonde slut. That was suddenly the least of her problems. Before she could start to draw, there was a knock at her bedroom door. She sighed.  
  
"Come in," she called to the person, not knowing who it could be. Brooke and Haley were gone, Luke was in Charleston with Keith... The door slowly opened to reveal a broken looking Jake. Her own problem soon forgotten, Peyton jumped off the bed and ran over to him. "Jake what happened?"  
  
"Nicki... she," he began, but couldn't get the words out. Peyton lead him over to her bed and laid him down.  
  
"What did she do?" she questioned, moving to lay down beside him. "Where's Jenny?" Jake moved a hand to cover his face in attempt to stop the tears.  
  
"She took her, Peyton," he cried, not being able to hold back the tears. "She came to Café with a cop and they took her from me." Peyton looked over at him in shock.  
  
"Can she do that?"  
  
"Apparently some judge granted her a supervised visit," he explained. Peyton shook her head and took a hold of his hand.  
  
"What judge would do that?"  
  
"I don't know," he sighed. He turned to face her. "I can't lose her, Peyton. She can't take my daughter away from me. She's all I have."  
  
"I know," Peyton said, her own tears starting to overcome her. "I know." Not knowing what else she could possibly say to him, she just held him. They cried together as both their world fell apart around them.  
  
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That's all for now, folks. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. We'll be checking in on our favourite girls next. Till then, peace. 


	9. Horrible Is Still Coming

Author's Note: How you all doing? I hope you liked the last chapter. I know that so many people are Naley fans, but I can't stand them together and I know a lot of people are Jeyton fans, so I put a little bit in there since I think they're cute together. Let me know if you want some more or not. Just for the record, there is a line in here that I borrowed from the Buffy episode entitled "The Prom", so if you recognize it, that's where it's from. I'm using it because I've always thought it was really sad and it just fit perfectly. That's all there is to say right now, so here we go....  
  
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The rest of the day went by in a boring blur for the girls. After they had decided they where heading north to New York, they picked out a route and Haley made a schedule for when they should get there. When they put their money together, plus Brooke's three different credit cards, they decided that they would have enough money to stay at cheap motels every night if Brooke used her charms to get them a room for free every other time. After an hour of whining, Haley let Brooke stop at Taco Bell for lunch, but only if she got to drive for the rest of the day.  
  
"No way," Brooke had protested. "Nobody drives my car but me. I don't think so, Tutor Girl."  
  
"But you let Peyton drive it."  
  
"When I was drugged out," Brooke responded. "Believe me, if I was sober she wouldn't have even dared to ask."  
  
"Fine, then you can't stop at Taco Bell," Haley told her. Brooke was about to ask her how she planned on stopping her, but she saw the look on Haley's face and knew she had her ways.  
  
"Fine," she finally agreed. "You can drive after lunch."  
  
After getting lost a couple times and a hundred 'I told you so's from Brooke, they found a cheap motel to stay at. Since they had paid for their room last night, Haley let Brooke flirt with the guy to get them a free room. Brooke blew the young boy a kiss before sauntering over to her friend, a proud smile on her face. Haley shook her head, but couldn't help but laugh when she saw the love struck look on the boy's face.  
  
"What are you gonna do when it's a girl at the front desk?" she teased as they walked out the door and went in search of their room. Brooke put the key ring on her index finger and flung it around.  
  
"Are you kidding?" she asked rhetorically. "Girls, guys, it doesn't matter. I could get us a new car for free. Nobody can resist my charms." Haley rolled her eyes at her cockiness.  
  
"You've haven't won me over with them." Brooke smiled.  
  
"Just give it time, my dear," Brooke promised. "Pretty soon, you'll be worshipping the ground I walk on. Trust me." Brooke spotted their room two doors up from where hey were. "Oh, found the room." She quickened her pace so she could have the door unlocked by the time Haley got there.  
  
"There's only one bed," Haley pointed out when she made it to the door to find Brooke lying on the solitary bed. Brooke pushed herself up onto her elbow.  
  
"Hey, it's Mrs. States the Obvious," Brooke teased her. "Sorry, I had to use a little lesbian innuendoes to get him worked up. Guess he assumed we only needed one bed."  
  
"What?" Haley asked in fake shock. "Your Brooke Davis charm wasn't enough to woo him? You had to throw a little Haley James in there too?"  
  
"Hey, whatever it takes. That's my motto." Brooke dug in her pocket and found her keys to the car. She tossed them to Haley. "Wanna go pull the car around? That way we can just grab a pair of clean clothes instead of bringing a whole suitcase in.  
  
"Yeah, sure," Haley answered. "Let's just hope we don't have a repeat of this morning." Before Brooke had a chance to comment, Haley shut the door and was on her way to the car. Three minutes later Brooke heard honking coming from right outside the door. Assuming Haley was calling her, she reluctantly got off her ass and walked outside. Haley had the car backed up in the spot right in front of the door. Haley turned the car off and got out, pulling the front seat forward so she could grab some clothes. Brooke waited until she was done before she got her own. When they both had a change of clothes, Haley locked the doors and tossed the keys back to Brooke. They went back into their room.  
  
"You tired yet?" Brooke asked, not feeling sleepy just yet. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep if she went to bed now, but also knew that since they were sharing a bed, if Haley was tired, there wasn't much she could do about it.  
  
"Not really," Haley answered back. She looked at the clock sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. "It's only midnight. What do you wanna do?"  
  
"We could watch TV?"  
  
"I doubt they have cable here," Haley pointed out. Brooke sighed, knowing they probably didn't. "What about ordering a movie." Brooke grabbed the booklet off the television set to see what they could get. She shook her head.  
  
"Not unless you wanna watch 'Inspect Her Gadget' or 'Sex Toy Story 2'." Brooke laughed at the disgusted look on Haley's face.  
  
"Now those are two great movies that I'll never be able to watch again," Haley commented. Brooke giggled. "So, that's a big no for movies. What else is there to do?"  
  
"Normally I would say Truth or Dare, but it's no fun when there's only two people, especially if they're no boys to be involved in the dares."  
  
"We could just play truth," Haley suggested, not having anything to hide.  
  
"Where's the fun in that?"  
  
"It could help us get to know each other better," Haley explained. "The way I figure it, we have at least a year ahead together, might as well get acquainted now."  
  
"Alright," Brooke agreed. "Let's get into our pajamas then we'll play." After they both were changed and both went pee, they sat down on the bed, Haley and the end and Brooke at the foot.  
  
"Okay, so who goes first?"  
  
"I'll go," Brooke volunteered. "What's one thing that even your best friend doesn't know about you?" Haley thought about it. Luke knew almost everything about her. The only things he didn't know where stuff that happened before they meet, which was only really one important thing.  
  
"That my oldest brother died," Haley answered. Brooke's features softened.  
  
"Oh God, I'm so sorry." Haley shook her head and motioned for her to stop.  
  
"Don't worry about it," she urged her. "I wasn't even two at the time. I hardly remember him at all. I just remember the night it happened. Me and my sister had to stay at my grandparent's house."  
  
"How'd it happen?" Brooke asked. "If you don't mind me asking?"  
  
"He drowned," Haley explained. "He and a friend of his were at a party, they had to much to drink and decided it would be funny to go canoeing. His friend died too."  
  
"Aw, that totally sucks." Haley nodded. Brooke thought Haley would like a change in subject. "Okay, your turn."  
  
"Okay, um...." Haley thought of something that she had always wanted to ask Brooke. "Okay, I got it and you don't have to answer if you don't want to..."  
  
"Yes I do," Brooke interrupted. "Those are kinda the rules of the game."  
  
"Well, you still don't have to," Haley told her. "Back when you were with Luke, before all the drama with Peyton, were you in love with him?" Brooke's face fell at the question. She thought about it carefully.  
  
"I was getting there," she finally decided. "I wasn't there yet, thank God. I don't know what I would have done if the guy I loved cheated on me." Brooke immediately realized what she had said when she saw the look on Haley's face. "Oh, man. I can't believe I just said that. I'm really sorry, Hales."  
  
"It's okay," Haley told her, even though she wasn't okay. She knew Brooke didn't mean to say it, but that didn't make it hurt any less. "I'm gonna have to deal with what happened sooner or later, right?"  
  
"If you want my advice, which I don't recommend by the way," Brooke offered. "Go to a bar and get really drunk." Haley smiled at her friend's attempt to lighten the mood.  
  
"I can't even do that," Haley pointed out, rubbing a hand over her stomach.  
  
"Oh yeah, I forgot." Brooke lowered her head, trying to decide if she should ask the next question or not. "I know this is a really stupid question and maybe a little offending, but are you gonna keep the baby?"  
  
"It's not a stupid question, Tigger," Haley assured her. "I've thought about it a lot. I'm gonna have it, but I haven't decided if I'm keeping it or if I'm gonna put it up for adoption."  
  
"I think that's the right thing to do."  
  
"When I first found out there was no doubt in my mind," Haley explained. "I was gonna have the baby and me and Nathan would raise it together. Of course that's not gonna happen now..." She tried to fight back the tears.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Brooke said, watching Haley try to keep her emotions in check. "It must be horrible." Haley shook her head as the tears finally began to fall.  
  
"I think horrible is still coming," she choked out. "Right now it's worse. Right now I'm just trying to keep from dying."  
  
"Oh, Hales..." Haley slowly leaned forward and put her head in Brooke's lap.  
  
"I can't breathe, Brooke," Haley sobbed. "I feel like I can't breathe." Brooke ran her fingers through Haley's hair. Brook looked down at her crying friend, not knowing what she could do to help her. She finally decided the only thing she could do was let her cry.  
  
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All done. Hope you liked it. I'm in desperate need of reviews; so if you liked it, please tell me. Thanks for reading. Peace. 


	10. I Think I'll Be Okay

Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Thanks a bundle for all the great reviews. They were all positive. I don't know if you notice, but the more reviews I get, the faster I get the next chapter out. So you keep up the reviews, I'll keep bringing the updates. I was have a few different ideas in mind for where I want this fic to go. My first question is if you guys like reading about Haley and Brooke or Tree Hill better. Personally, I like writing about the girls better, but if you guys want the other, I must keep the viewers satisfied. So tell me what you wanna see happen and I'll see what I can do. There will be some Jayton, but it will definitely not be the focus of this story and don't worry, there will be more Lucas and Nathan. Anyway, here's the next chapter...  
  
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After almost half a hour of crying, Brooke finally realized that Haley was tired out. She decided that it would be the best thing for Haley to get some sleep. She brought Haley out of her lap and tucked her into bed. She locked the door, turned off the light and got into bed beside Haley. Brooke laid there in silence, thinking that Haley was asleep. It wasn't until five minutes later that Haley spoke.  
  
"Tigger?" Brooke was slightly surprised to hear her friend's voice.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you think... do you think that Nathan will ever want me back?" Brooke could hear the pain in her voice and sighed. She shifted in the bed so that she was facing Haley's back. Haley didn't turn around, but knew that Brooke was listening. "That he'll ever love us again?" Brooke assumed that by 'us' she meant her and the baby.  
  
"Sweetie," she began, trying to be gentle. She didn't want to hurt Haley, but she thought that she needed to hear it. "After what he said to you, and after whatever the hell he's been doing with that girl... I don't know if he ever loved you." Haley was silent for the next few minutes as she thought over Brooke's words. Broke was afraid she had hurt Haley. Finally, she nodded in the dark.  
  
"That doesn't make it hurt any less," she finally commented. She sniffled and wrapped her arms around herself. "I loved him, Brooke. I gave him my heart and he stomped all over it."  
  
"But he's an idiot," Brooke assured her. "He didn't see what a wonderful thing he had right in front of him. He had you and he blew it. In my book, that equals idiot."  
  
"That's what Luke said," Haley said, before she could stop it. She wasn't going to tell Brooke that she had ran into Luke that morning. She closed her eyes; waiting for the big blowup she knew was coming. To her surprise, there wasn't any. She turned around in the bed to face Brooke, wanting to see if she was angry or not. Brooke's face was unreadable.  
  
"Then I guess Luke isn't as stupid as I thought," was what she finally said. Haley looked at her in surprised. Brooke saw the weird look. "What?"  
  
"Since when are you pro Lucas?" Brooke shrugged.  
  
"I just am," she replied mysteriously. She really didn't want to get into the whole story at this time of night. They both were in desperate need of sleep and if they had another heart to heart, Brooke didn't see that happening. "Let's just leave it at that for now."  
  
"If you say so." Haley could tell that there was more to the story. Brooke had held out her grudge against both Luke and Peyton for so long, she knew that Luke must have done something really big for Brooke to have forgiven him. She was thinking along the same lines as Brooke, deciding it was best to just leave it at that. "Well, with all my pain and heart ache aside, I think we should get some sleep."  
  
"I concur," Brooke added. They both shifted positions and were now lying on their backs, staring at the ceiling. "It gets easier, you know." Haley turned her head.  
  
"What does?"  
  
"Living without him," Brooke explained, glancing at the girl beside her. "I know it's hard now, you feel like you wanna just crawl up into a ball and die, but it doesn't last forever. Gradually, the pain starts to lessen and every time you see him, your chest doesn't contrast and squeeze your heart until it bursts."  
  
"Well, that's a lovely visual," Haley muttered. Brooke rolled her eyes.  
  
"You know what I mean," she teased. "What your feeling now, I've been there. Granted, I wasn't knocked up and in love when my man cheated on me, but... I think I know what you're generally feeling."  
  
"I feel like I want to slam my head up against a wall just to get that image of them out of my head." Brooke laughed, even though she knew Haley was serious.  
  
"Well, I hate to break it to you, kid," she began. "But that picture, it's never gonna leave. It stays with you, haunts you in your dreams."  
  
"You know, Tigger," Haley interrupted. "You're really not good with the comforting thing."  
  
"No, no, it gets better," Brooke assures her. "My point is, while your hurting now and it may seem like it'll never go away, but it will. I promise."  
  
"But Luke was sorry about what he did," Haley argued. "He apologized to you over and over and meant it. You had the comfort of seeing him everyday. Me? I'll probably never see Nathan again."  
  
"Explain to me how that's a bad thing?" Haley let out a frustrated breath.  
  
"Forget I even started this conversation." She rolled over so her back was facing Brooke. She waited for Brooke to say something. When nothing came, she glanced over her shoulder to see the cheerleader. "Well aren't you gonna apologize and tell me to continue?"  
  
"I sorry," Brooke said, smiling. "Continue."  
  
"Maybe I don't wanna." Brooke shrugged and started to turn over. "Fine." Both girls were lying on their back again. "It just hasn't hit me yet that I'll never see him again. My baby will never see him."  
  
"Can I be completely honest with you?"  
  
"Can I stop you?"  
  
"I guess not," Brooke laughed. "Honestly, I think you're better off without him."  
  
"Really?" Brooke nodded. "But you were the one that got us together in the first place. I always thought you were pro Naley."  
  
"Naley?" Brooke asked in amusement. She thought about it for a moment. "Oh, I get it. It's like a play on words, Nathan and Haley. Clever. Not at all sad."  
  
"Now that I think about it..."  
  
"Seriously, when I hooked you two up, I wasn't really thinking about you two all that much," Brooke admitted. "It was a whole karma thing I was trying out. Worked for a while, then it went kablewy."  
  
"So you never thought we were good together?" Brooke sighed. She tried to think of how she could explain it.  
  
"It's not that you weren't good together," Brooke began. "You two were adorable together, all your cute little kisses and snuggling. You guys couldn't keep your hands off each other."  
  
"Then how can I be better off without him? How can us being to apart be good?"  
  
"The way you see it," Brooke started. "You see the sweet guy you're in love with that made a mistake. The way I see it, he's just the jackass he was back when he was dating Peyton. He can try to be anything he wants to be, but he can't be anything other than him. He's not a good guy, Hales. You deserve better." Haley took a few moments to digest her words. It was hard for her to accept that Nathan was playing her that whole time, that she was just some conquest for him to conquer. Just Another girl to brag to his friends about.  
  
"I can't believe that," Haley denied. "That's not him, not anymore. He's a good guy. An amazing boyfriend." Brooke shook her hand and took a hold of Haley's hand.  
  
"Haley," she said, wanting to get Haley's undivided attention. Haley reluctantly turned her head to look at her. Brooke saw tears in her eyes and gave her a sad smile. "Take it from me, a girl who knows how Nathan Scott screws girls over, he was playing you." She saw Haley start to shake her head. "I know it's harsh, but you need to accept it. He wasn't in love with you. It was all a game. I've seen him do it before. He likes to play people, he gets off on it. I saw him do it to Peyton for years."  
  
"Then how come she's not broken?"  
  
"Cause she wasn't in love with him," Brooke stated. "In her own little way, she was playing him too. Those two, they were perfect for each other. But unlike Nathan, Peyton has moved on, grown up. She doesn't treat people like toys anymore, most of the time."  
  
"So how do I get over this?" Haley asked. "How do I make it better?"  
  
"Time," Brooke sighed. She saw Haley's shoulders slump. "I know, it sound like the most useless thing it the world, but that is really all that will help you."  
  
"Can't I just go out and sleep with some random bar-guy like Luke did?" Brooke shook her head.  
  
"That'll only make you feel better for a few minutes, maybe longer if the guys any good, but it's not a lasting solution."  
  
"Yeah, and if it's anything like Luke's experience, I'll pick some eyeliner whore that likes to stalk my friends." Both girls laughed. "That helps a little, too."  
  
"What does?"  
  
"Laughing at other people's problems." Brooke smiled and nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yeah, that helps sometimes, too," she agreed. "Oh, and chocolate!" Haley smiled.  
  
"I think I'll be okay." Brooke squeezed her hand before letting it go.  
  
"We both will." Brooke glanced at the clock. "Now that we got tonight's heart to heart out of the way, can we please get some sleep?"  
  
"Sure." Both girls turned on their sides. "Night, Tigger."  
  
"Night, Tutor Girl," Brooke called back. She closed her eyes and waited patiently for the sand man to come and give her good dreams.  
  
OTH  
  
Finis. That's all for now. If you liked it, please tell me. You see that little purple bar down there to the left? It says submit review? Just click there and type, I'd love to hear from you. I'm just kidding. It would be great to hear from, but don't do it of you're too lazy, believe me, I'd understand. Well, the more feedback I get, the faster I update. Oh, and please tell me what you like better, Tree Hill or the runaways. Peace. 


	11. You'd Do That For Me?

Author's Note: Hello to all! I've decided to play hooky from school today because I'm "sick". Even though I'm supposed to be watching a movie that needs to be returned yesterday, I figured I'd update my stories first. From the reviews I've gotten so far, most of you seem to like reading about Brooke and Haley better than Tree Hill, which is good for me, so I think I'll stick to my plan. I'll do three chapters of the girls, since that is what this story is supposed to be about, then add a chapter about Tree Hill. The Tree Hill chapters will probably change focus each time. Like the first one was mostly about Peyton, then the second was Jake, so the next one will be Nathan I guess. I haven't decided yet. Anyway, I better get this done fast so I can watch that Paris Hilton movie (Not that one! Minds out of the gutter people!) Here's the next chapter...  
  
OTH  
  
Surprisingly enough, Haley was able to get Brooke out of bed easily this morning. She didn't even had to go passed the covers this time. They had quickly showered and gotten dressed without any problems. Haley was done first again, but decided against heading out without Brooke. After what happened yesterday, they had decided that neither of them was to go out alone until they got to New York. They gave the key to the girl working at the counter and head out to the car. Haley moved to get into the driver's seat, but Brooke stopped her.  
  
"I don't think so, Tutor Girl," she warned her. Brooke grabbed the keys from the other girl and got into the car. Haley rolled her eyes and got into her side.  
  
"Are you ever going to let me drive again?" Haley asked as Brooke started up the car and pulled out onto the road. Brooke shrugged, reaching over to dig through the glove compartment for her sunglasses. Sensing that Brooke was fully paying attention to the road, Haley swatted her hand away and looked for them herself.  
  
"Maybe," Brooke answered. "I haven't decided yet." Haley sighed when she finally found the glasses and handed them to Brooke. Before she shut the door she pulled out a map book and began to flip through it. "Can I at least drive it when we get to New York?" Brooke thought about it.  
  
"It depends where you'll be going," she finally answered. Haley shook her head, not liking the answer she got and went back to looking at the map. "Whatcha looking for?"  
  
"Trying to see if there's any roadside diners near here," Haley commented, her eyes not leaving the map. Brooke raised a perfectly carved eyebrow.  
  
"Why a roadside diner?"  
  
"Well, a road trip wouldn't be complete without going to an old fashioned roadside diner," Haley explained. She tore her eyes off the book to look at Brooke in surprise. "Don't you watch any movies? You have to find a diner that you'll always remember. Either because it was so horrible or because it was so great." Brooke continues to look at her blankly. "Come on! It's the rule!"  
  
"Sorry, I wasn't aware there was a road trip rulebook." Haley rolled her eyes and went back to the book. "But it sounds cool to me. You had me at old fashioned, I just love vintage." Haley gave her an accusing look.  
  
"No you don't."  
  
"I do, too."  
  
"Name one vintage store," Haley demanded. Brooke tried to remember one of those stores that Peyton always babbles on about. She cursed herself for always zoning out when the blonde talked about her fashion.  
  
"Um, Good Will?" she guessed. Haley laughed at her answer and shook her head.  
  
"Good try, though," Haley commented. "Extra points for effort."  
  
OTH  
  
After debating about fashion sense for the next hour of their trip, they had come across Haley's roadside diner. Brooke eyed it suspiciously before pulling into the dirt parking lot. She turned off the car and the two of them got out.  
  
"I can't believe I'm going to eat in a place called Big Willie's," Brooke complained as they walked into the diner. It was almost completely empty, there was just one old couple sitting in a booth and three waitresses leaning on the counter. Everyone turned to look at them when they walked in. They assumed they didn't get many customers here. There was a slow ballad playing on the radio in the background, but Haley couldn't make out the song. The waitresses whispered to each other before one of them made their way over to the girls.  
  
"Hi there, you pretty little things," the lady greeted them. "Just follow me and I'll get you a booth." Brooke and Haley followed her to a table and sat down. She pulled out a notepad and a pencil. "What can I get you? We don't have much here. There's pancakes, toast, waffles, sausages, bacon and eggs."  
  
"I'll have some pancakes and coffee," Brooke ordered. The lady nodded and wrote it down before turning to Haley.  
  
"I'll have the same, I guess."  
  
"Minus the coffee," Brooke interrupted. Both women shot her a surprised look. "She'll have some orange juice, please." The waitress was confused but didn't comment on it.  
  
"It should be ready in about five minutes." They nodded and she walked.  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
"You're pregnant," Brooke pointed out. "It's not good for the baby for you to have caffeine." Haley continued to stare at her. "So what? I was just looking out for the baby, jeez. I'll never do it again." Haley leaned back in her seat.  
  
"So, first I can't get drunk to forget about the pain, now I can't even have my morning coffee?" Haley pouted. "This totally sucks."  
  
"I'll tell you what," Brooke said, smiling at the cute look on Haley's face. "After this cup, I'll quit, too. Both coffee and alcohol. That way you won't be alone." Haley's eyes lite up and her frown turned into a smile.  
  
"You'd do that for me?" Brooke rolled her eyes.  
  
"I just figured this would make you less of a pain in the ass," she explained. "This way I can tell you to shut up when you start to complain about it."  
  
"So this is in no way a nice thing you're doing for me?" she questioned with a knowing smirk plastered on her face. Brooke shrugged, getting uncomfortable under her stare. She shook her head.  
  
"No way, I'm totally thinking of myself," Brooke denied. Haley continued to stare. "Fine, maybe I was thinking of you a little. What's the big deal?"  
  
"No, no deal," Haley said. "Certainly not a big one."  
  
"Good," Brooke said. She tried to think of something to change the subject. "So, what do think so far?"  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"Of our little adventure?" Brooke elaborated. "I mean we've gone almost two full days without killing each other or giving up." Haley laughed.  
  
"Well, to be honest," she joked. "I've thought about doing both." Brooke laughed at her words, knowing she was just kidding.  
  
"Me too," Brooke commented and Haley laughed. They heard the song on the radio coming to an end and a new start up. Haley stopped laughing the moment she realized what song it was.  
  
I love the time and in between,

The calm inside me,

In a space where I can breath

I believe there a distance I have wandered,

To touch upon the years,

Reaching out and reaching in

Holding out, holding in  
  
Brooke noticed the look on Haley's face. She looked like she was about to cry. Brooke looked behind her to see what was wrong. There was nothing there. She turned back to Haley.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"This song," Haley answered. She shook her head and wiped her eyes. Brooke looked over to the counter and saw the waitresses where still standing there.  
  
"Hey," she called out. They all turned to look at her and they noticed that Haley was crying. "Could you maybe change the station or something?" The one that was serving them nodded and changed the station to a country one. Brooke smiled at her.  
  
"Thanks," Haley sniffled. She knew what Brooke was going to ask she saved her the trouble. "Nathan moment. I sang it to him once." Brooke nodded. She wanted to ask more about it, but figured now wasn't the right place. "Sorry I lost it there."  
  
"Oh, that's no problem," Brooke assured her. Before she could say anything else, their waitress walked up with their food. She placed a plate of pancakes in front of both girls and put coffee in front of Brooke and a glass of orange juice by Haley.  
  
"Everything peachy over here?" she asked, looking at Haley to make sure she wasn't crying anymore. Both of them nodded.  
  
"Yeah, we're good. Thanks," Brooke said motioning to the food.  
  
"Oh, that's no problem," she replied. "If you need anything, I'm just over there." Brooke nodded and she walked away. Brooke poured some syrup on her pancakes and took a bit.  
  
"They're good, huh?" she commented, wanting to make some conversation. Haley just nodded. Brooke sighed and took a sip of her coffee. They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence.  
  
OTH  
  
Hope you like it. Tell me what you think, please. We'll be heading to Tree Hill next, so buckle up your seatbelts. Anywho, can't wait to hear from you, wink wink. I'd just think to say that I hate this quick edit thing. I know the song looks stupid, but no matter what I tried, it kept changing it to a full sentence on one line. That was the only way I could seperate it. Till next time, I'm outtie.


	12. What If She Had?

Author's Note: Hello, everyone. Sorry I didn't get to update yesterday, but I know exactly what will be coming up in the next few chapters so they'll probably be up in no time. I couldn't think of anything I wanted to write about back in Tree Hill so I decided to do this chapter about Luke. I know most of you are wondering why Brooke wanted to leave and this chapter is going to hint at the reason, but the big explanation isn't going to come until the next chapter. Just so you know, it isn't want you all think. Anyway, here's the next chapter....  
  
OTH  
  
Lucas stared out the window of Keith's truck, as they made their way back to Tree Hill. After talking to Haley that morning, Luke hasn't been able to stop thinking about her. When he had finally come to his senses and went back to Keith's new house, he had thought a lot about his feelings for his best friend. He had come to the conclusion that he was in love with her, but after he talked to his uncle about it, he came to the new conclusion that he wasn't in love with her. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, he was so confused. Luke asked Keith if he could take him back early, but didn't tell him why. Keith was aware that Haley and Nathan broke up and that she left, but not that she was pregnant. He figured that Haley wouldn't want him to know. They were now about two hours away from Tree Hill and so far the ride had been in silence. Keith couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"Come on, Luke," Keith urged him. He knew that something had been bothering his nephew for the past two days. "I know something is wrong. What is it?"  
  
"Just thinking about Haley," Luke answered, without turning away from the window. By the tone in his voice, Keith knew he wasn't telling the whole story.  
  
"That's not all and I know it," he said. "Ever since you ran into Haley you've been bummed out. What happened." Luke let out a sigh.  
  
"Well, my best friend in all the world just told me that I was never going to see her again," he answered sarcastically. "Why do you think I'm bummed." Keith shook his head.  
  
"There's something else," he pointed out. "I get that you're upset, she left and I get that you're angry, but why are you... jealous?" Luke's eyes widened and he quickly tried to think of a way to deny it.  
  
"I'm not jealous!" he exclaimed. "Why would I be jealous? Just cause she left town without even thinking about how I would feel about it? Or because she didn't even wait to say goodbye? Or because she's pregnant with my brother's..." he trailed off when he realized what he just said. He looked over to see Keith's reaction and regretted it. "I mean...I didn't mean....what I meant was..."  
  
"Haley's pregnant?"  
  
"I didn't say that."  
  
"Yeah, actually you did," Keith corrected him. Keith tore his gaze away from Luke and looked back at the road. Luke closed his eyes, hoping that would some how turn back time. After a few minutes of silence, Keith turned back to him. "You wanna talk about it?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well, it just seems that it's really bothering you," Keith explained. "I just thought you might wanna talk about it."  
  
"This stays between us, right?" Luke asked, not wanting to have anyone else find out Haley's secret. Keith nodded. "Especially the pregnant part. You can't even tell my mom. Got it?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah," he answered. "Her secret's safe with me." Luke nodded and began to play with the hem of his shirt, not wanting to make eye contact. "So what's got you so bothered about it? Besides the obvious?"  
  
"That's the thing," Luke explained. "I don't know why I'm so upset about it. I mean, I should be more upset with Nathan for knocking her up, but it seems like I'm more upset with her about it."  
  
"Maybe cause you're disappointed?" Keith suggested. Luke thought that was a good point. Maybe he was disappointed in Haley for sleeping with Nathan. Haley had always said that she wasn't going to sleep with just anyone, she was going to wait until she got married.  
  
"I think that's it," Luke concluded. "I mean, she always said she was gonna wait. She was going to be different than all the other girls, smarter. How could she be so stupid to just sleep with him? Didn't she think about the consequences?" Keith shook his head, not believing he was actually saying these things.  
  
"Did you?" Keith questions. Luke immediately looks away, knowing he had a point. "How soon you forget. Wasn't it just a few weeks ago your ex- girlfriend had a pregnancy scare?"  
  
"Yeah, but that was different..."  
  
"How exactly?"  
  
"It was just a scare," Luke pointed out. "She wasn't really pregnant, but Haley is. There's a big difference." Keith shook his head in disappointment. Did Luke actually think that made some kind of difference?  
  
"It could have easily been the same situation," Keith argued back. "What if Brooke had really been pregnant?"  
  
"What if she had?"  
  
"Would you still be this disappointed in Haley?" Lucas thought about it. To be honest, knowing himself, he probably would have felt the same way. He would have pretended that he wasn't in the same situation and be a complete hypocrite about it.  
  
"Honestly?" he asked. Keith nodded. "Probably. I know it wouldn't make any sense and I'm sure Haley would have pointed that out to me, but I would still feel that way."  
  
"Why do you do that to her?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Expect so much of her?" Luke frowned at his words. Haley had asked him the exact same question the night of the auction when he had found her tattoo. At the time he knew what she was saying was true, but he didn't really think much about it. Now that Keith mentions it too, he realizes that it must be a big deal. He sighed.  
  
"Because I've seen her be better than most people," he said, repeating the answer he had given Haley. "Haley's like this... this unbelievable kind of person, you know?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She's, for lack of a better word, she's perfect," he answered. "I mean, she's good at everything. She's beautiful, she smart, she funny, she's talented, she's an amazing friend... she's the whole package."  
  
"That means she can't make mistakes?"  
  
"It's almost like she's above everyone else," Luke explained. "So when I found out she was pregnant, she just dropped down or something, you know. Like, how could Haley possibly do something that Brooke would do? It just didn't seem right."  
  
"So it's okay for Brooke to be pregnant because she doesn't get good grades?"  
  
"No, that's not what I'm saying," Luke snapped. "Stop putting words into my mouth."  
  
"Hey, hey," Keith told him, holding up one hand. "I'm just trying to help you sort out your feelings." Luke smiled sadly at him.  
  
"Sorry," Luke mumbled. "But do you get what I'm saying?"  
  
"Yeah, I think I do," he replied. "You just thought that Haley was smarter than that, that's all." Luke nodded, glad that Keith understood what he was trying to say. "You thought she was going to stay innocent forever."  
  
"Not forever," Luke defended, half-heartedly. Keith gave him a doubtful look. "I at least figured she would wait to do it with someone she cared about."  
  
"Like you?" Keith asked with a knowing smile. Luke smiled at him, knowing he was just teasing him. He hit him in the arm.  
  
"No, man," he told him. "At least someone she loved."  
  
"Can you honestly say that she didn't love Nathan?" Luke looked away and back out the window. He sighed, before finally nodding. "At least she loved the person she lost her virginity to, even of that person didn't love her back. Can you say the same thing?"  
  
"That's low."  
  
"Well, can you?"  
  
"No, no I can't." He had always regretted that. He didn't love Brooke, yet he had slept with her. He and Haley had made a pact when they went into high school that they wouldn't give it up unless they were in love. But then he had meet Brooke and everything went out the window. He sighed and turned away from Keith.  
  
"Then who are you to judge Haley's actions?"  
  
"I'm a guy that loves her more than Nathan ever could," he answered. Keith seems to accept that answers as he turns his full attention back to the road. Luke thought about what Keith had said about him and Brooke. "Hey, Keith?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Back when you said that Brooke could have easily been pregnant," he began. "Well, I never really told anyone this, but she was." Keith quickly glanced at Luke to see if he was being serious.  
  
"What do you mean she was?" Keith asked, stressing the word 'was'. Before he could ask about an abortion, Luke interrupted him.  
  
"She lost the baby," he answered quickly. He looked at his shoes, trying to decide whether he should tell him the next part.  
  
"How come you never said anything?"  
  
"Cause it wasn't any of my business," Luke answered, truthfully. Keith's brow scrunched up in confusion. There was no turning back now.  
  
"How wasn't it your business?" Keith questioned. "She was carrying your baby." Luke took a big breath and looked his uncle in the eyes. He had never told anybody this.  
  
"No she wasn't," Lucas corrected him. "She said the baby wasn't mine."  
  
OTH  
  
Dum, dum, dum...... I know, it's lame, but the next chapter will be much better. I promise. Any guesses as to whom the father was? If you have an idea, add it in your review. You are going to review, aren't you? I'll try to have the next part up by tonight, but by tomorrow morning for sure. Peace. 


	13. You Never Meant To Hurt Me?

Author's Note: Hey, everyone. Hope you all like the last chapter. I'm really glad you all still like this story and I hope you'll like the new twist that will be added. I'm assuming you got the reason why Brooke left, but it will all be explained by the end of this chapter. Another big thank you to all the amazing reviews you've given me, please keep them coming. Tell me if you like this chapter. Here it is...  
  
OTH  
  
"I can't believe you made me pay this time," Brooke whined as they pulled up in front of their room. "Did you see that kid? I could have gotten us a deluxe sweet for a week with complementary snack bar privileges."  
  
"Tigger, look at this place," Haley instructed from her set. "It's a rundown roadside motel that consists of ten whole rooms. There is no deluxe sweet and I highly doubt that there is a snack bar in our room." Brooke rolled her eyes and shut off the car.  
  
"Fine, but we still could've gotten it for free." Haley gave her a fake sympathetic look. Brooke snarled at her as she leaned into the back seat to grab a change of clothes, not wanting to have to get them in the rain.  
  
"I'm sure you could have," she replied, copying Brooke's action and grabbed a pair of clothes. "But I already told you, we have enough money to pay for every other night. You can use your Brooke Davis charms on the other nights."  
  
"Fine," Brooke sighed. They both had their clothes and were staring at the door of their room. "You got the key?" Haley held up the silver object. "You ready?" Haley nodded. "Okay, on the count of three."  
  
"One, two..." They both quickly wiped open their respective car doors and ran towards the building. Haley quickly tried to get the key in the lock while Brooke danced around, complaining about the rain ruining her hair.  
  
"Come on, Hales," she cried, trying to shield her hair with her hands.  
  
"I'm trying," she replied in a frustrated voice. "I can barely see anyth ... There." Brooke quickly pushed past Haley and into the room, Haley following behind. She shut the door and found that Brooke was already in the washroom.  
  
"This pace doesn't even have showers!" Brooke called from the washroom. Haley shook her head and began to take off her pants.  
  
"And you thought there would be a snack bar," she mumbled, pulling on the clean pair of sweats. She turned to the bedside to see what time it was, but frowned when there wasn't one. "There isn't even an alarm clock. What time is it?" Haley took off her shirt. She heard the tap turn on and off, before Brooke reentered the room.  
  
"It's only ten," she answered, giving Haley a quick glance before plopping down on her bed. "What are we supposed to do now? We have at least two hours to kill."  
  
"There isn't even a TV in here," Haley commented, pulling the tank top over her head. She walked over to the washroom and threw her wet clothes on the floor with Brooke's. She came back into the room and motioned for Brooke to slide over. Brooke shifted to the other side of the bed to give Haley enough room to lie down too.  
  
"So," Brooke questioned after Haley was settled on the bed beside her. "Got any ideas?" Haley turned her head to the side to give Brooke a look of fake shock. She gasped dramatically.  
  
"You're telling me that the famous Brooke Davis can't think of something fun to do?" Brooke smirked at her and kicked her playfully.  
  
"Oh, I can think of plenty," she replied. "Just nothing that you'd be allowed to do."  
  
"Such as..." Brooke smiled evilly.  
  
"Just stuff," she answered cryptically. "Stuff that a pregnant lady like yourself isn't supposed to do."  
  
"Hey, you're not supposed to be doing that stuff either, remember?" Haley told her and Brooke rolled her eyes in response. "It's part of the whole supportive friend thing, you won't do anything that I can't. You promised."  
  
"I know," Brooke assured her. "I just didn't think you'd be so cruel as to take me up on it." Haley laughed at the pouty tone in her voice.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Haley laughed. "It's a proven fact that misery loves company." She looked over at Brooke. "Hi, company."  
  
"Hi, misery," she replied back with a smile on her face. "Then I guess it's a good thing you came on this little adventure with me."  
  
"Yeah," Haley said, her smile fading slightly as the conversation turned to a much sadder topic. "I'm glad I came."  
  
"I'm glad you came too." They laid there in a comfortable silence, both thinking about different things. Haley tried to decide whether she should ask Brooke about it or not. She had asked Brooke about it a few nights ago, but she wasn't fully satisfied with the answer she received because she didn't really understand it. Brooke looked over at Haley and saw that she was having trouble with something. "What's up?  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You got that far off look on your face," Brooke explained. "You were either thinking about something or you have gas. I'm kinda hoping it's the first one or else I'm gonna have to politely ask you to get out of my bed." Haley laughed despite herself.  
  
"Oh, sorry," she replied. "I was just thinking about whether to ask you something or not."  
  
"Well, it seems like you just made that decision," Brooke comment. "Cause you gotta know that I'm not gonna let it drop till you ask me."  
  
"I should have just kept my mouth shut," Haley mumbled. Now she was trapped. She took a deep breath and pushed herself up into a sitting position. A worried look came across Brooke's face as she watched Haley's action. She knew this was serious. She sat up as well.  
  
"Hales, you can ask me anything," Brooke assured her. "I mean that game of truth and truth was pretty one sided. I guess it's my turn now." She looked Haley in the eyes. "Ask away."  
  
"Okay, well," Haley began. "I know I asked you this already, but I didn't really understand your answer." Brooke motioned for her to continue. "Why did you leave Tree Hill?"  
  
"Oh," was all Brooke could say. "I should have seen this one coming."  
  
"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer if..." Brooke held up her hands.  
  
"No, no, you shared a lot with me last night," Brooke said. "It's only fair that I tell you my story as well." Brooke leaned back so she was up against the headboard, while Haley moved into the middle of the bed so she could face Brooke. "If I stop at any time in the middle of this story, just give me a minute and I'll be okay. Don't say anything until I'm done because if I stop there is no way I'll be able to start again. Got it?"  
  
"Yeah," Haley answered. She could see that Brooke was nervous about telling her. "Just tell me what you're comfortable with me knowing, kay? You don't have to tell me anything else." Brooke nodded.  
  
"It's okay," Brooke told her. "I think I need this." She looked down at her hands. "So, I don't know where to begin. I'm not sure how much you know. You obviously know all about the Peyton/Lucas/Brooke love triangle." Haley nodded. "So I guess I'll just skip ahead to the night of the auction. Not getting into any details about my date with Mouth, I ended up at the Rivercourt with Lucas. I told him a was pregnant."  
  
"Wait," Haley interrupted. "I know I'm not supposed to be talking, but I just want to be clear. What do you mean by was?"  
  
"As I was saying," Brooke continued. "I told him I was pregnant. We went to the doctors and everything to make sure and I was." She ran a hand through her hair. "He was such a great guy through the whole thing, I guess that's when I started to trust him again." Haley nodded; trying to suppress the hurt she felt that Luke had never told her any of this. "I don't know if you know anything about my step dad, you probably don't. I mean I've been best friends with Peyton forever and I can count the amount of times she's meet him on one hand." Haley shook her head indicating that she didn't know anything about him. A really bad feeling swept over her, she knew the next part wasn't going to be good. Brooke struggled with how to explain the next part. "Ah... okay remember what happened a couple mornings ago? At that first motel?"  
  
"How could I forget," Haley answered. Realization finally hit her and her hand came over her mouth. "Oh, Tigger..." Brooke looked away, knowing she would start to cry if she looked at the sympathy on Haley's face.  
  
"Yeah, "she confirmed. "Anyway, Luke came in before he could finish what he was doing. Let's just say that daddy dearest won't be showing his face at any Raven's basketball games in the near future." She had to smile at the memory of Lucas beating the living hell out of her stepfather, but it turned to a frown as she played out the rest of the story in her head. Haley watched her face fall and knew what was coming next. "I lost the baby, Hales." She finally broke down and began to cry. Haley had her in a hug in an instant.  
  
"God, Tigger," she sighed. "I'm so sorry." Brooke wiped the tears from her eyes, dreading the next part she was going to have to tell her. She knew that she didn't need to continue the story, Haley had told her she didn't have to, but she felt she needed to. She knew they wouldn't be able to have a strong friendship if they had this secret between them. She pulled out of Haley's embrace. Haley looked at her in confusion. "What..."  
  
"There's more," she whispered. "There's one more thing I have to tell you and I really don't think you're gonna like it."  
  
"Tigger, what are you talking about?"  
  
"The baby," she sighed. She closed her eyes. "Lucas wasn't the father."  
  
"What?" Haley questioned. "I don't under... Are you sure?" Brooke nodded.  
  
"We only slept together once and that was like two nights before the accident. I got my...I'm sure."  
  
"Than who's was it?" Brooke looked away again. She closed her eyes and balled up her fist.  
  
"You saw me after we broke up, right?" Haley nodded. "I was a complete mess, but when I saw him and Peyton together... I just snapped. After I bitched out Peyton I went to this bar, I was in desperate need of a drink." Haley nodded, trying to figure out where Brooke was going with this. Brooke took a deep breath. "I ran into Nathan, I don't know why he was there or what I was thinking, but..." She looked up when she didn't hear Haley say anything. The sight that greeted her broke her heart. She reached a hand out, but Haley quickly moved back and off the bed. "God, I'm so sorry, Hales. I don't know what I was thinking. I never meant to hurt you."  
  
"You never meant to hurt me?" Haley snapped at her. She shook her head and looked around for something to hit. "Jesus, Brooke. You slept with my boyfriend and didn't think I'd be hurt?"  
  
"I wasn't thinking, Hales," Brooke cried, getting off the bed. "I was just so hurt. I needed someone and he was there and..."  
  
"And you forgot about the fact that I was his girlfriend?" Haley shook her head. "I can't believe you, Brooke. That's low, even for you." She couldn't look at her anymore so Haley walked to the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" Brooke asked, stepping forward.  
  
"I need to think about this," Haley answered. "And to get the hell away from you right now." She opened the door to step out.  
  
"But it's late and it's raining," Brooke pointed out, worried that something might happen to Haley.  
  
"Don't wait up," Haley said coldly before slamming the door behind her. Brooke stood stalk still as she stared at the door Haley had just walked out of.  
  
"Damn it!" she screamed, kicking the garbage can that was beside the bed. Not knowing what else she could do, she sat back down on her bed and cried.  
  
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So? Good? Bad? Horrible? Please tell me what you think. Peace. 


	14. Just Needed to Hear Your Voice

Author's Note: Hello to everyone. I hope you all liked the little twist I put in the last chapter. For lose of you who didn't, don't worry, it's not going to be a main concern in the overall course of the story. After all, it's not like she's still pregnant. Speaking of that, anyone who thinks Brooke should be, or is, or will be pregnant, it ain't gonna happen. There are far too many of those same old stories around and I don't want this to be the same as the others. Anyway, I'm glad that you are all hating Nathan, that was one of my intensions when I began this story.  
  
ThisYearsGirl: Just to clarify, I said in my author's note in that chapter that there was a line taken from 'The Prom'. Just so you don't think I'm stealing from Joss or anything.  
  
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It was pouring down buckets outside and it didn't give any signs of stopping in the near future. The wind was blowing at record speed causing the trees to sway about even more than they already were from the rain. Haley wrapped her arms around herself even tighter, cursing herself for not bringing a jacket with her. She shook her head, trying to get the water off of her face. It was no use, the droplets just kept coming down. She hated rainstorms enough when she was inside, they had always scared her for some reason, but she hated them even more when she was forced to be outside.  
  
She realized now that she should have thought about storming out of the motel room before actually doing it. She was just so steaming angry and hurt that she had to get out of there. She was afraid she might say something that she wouldn't be able to take back. She had always promised herself that if she ever got to her breaking point, that she would just walk away, it was the best solution for everyone. She would walk around for a bit, cool of and think. That way when she went back, they could talk it out in a civilized manner.  
  
She felt bad that she had just left Brooke like that, knowing that the girl was probably worried about her. She also knew that Brooke was swimming in guilt over what she had done. Before she left, she could she how sorry Brooke was, but at that moment, she really didn't care. It didn't matter to her how sorry she was, or how many excuses she made up, what was don was done. Brooke had slept with Nathan, the man she had loved, and now they were just going to have to live with it.  
  
Nathan had screwed them both over in his own way. They were both broken because of some jackass thing he had done, either directly in Haley's case or indirectly in Brooke's. He was back in Tree Hill, shaving sex with Blondie and living it up while Brooke and Haley, two people that got caught in the crossfire, were lost in a river of sadness, sorrow and pain.  
  
Who would have thought that Brooke Davis and Haley James would have so much in common. Brooke and Haley had always been complete opposites; Brooke was a hardcore party girl while Haley was Miss Sensible. That's what happens when men get involved. That's the only thing that can make two different people the same, the need to be wanted and loved. That's the one thing that everyone wants.  
  
Haley thought about all of this as she walked along the side of the road in the pouring rain and pitch black. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even hear the car pulling up beside her until it honked it's horn. She blinked a couple of times before she turned to look at the car. It was a blue Honda Civic with two young guys in the front seat, both looked to be a little tipsy.  
  
"Hey there, sweet thing," the one in the passenger side called. Haley tried her best to ignore them, hoping that they would continue one if she didn't say anything. "How was Heaven when you left it?" Haley rolled her eyes.  
  
"I bet you say that to all the girls," she said back to them in fake flattery. The driver laughed at his buddy, finding it amusing that he got shut down. She continued to walk and they drove beside her at a slow speed.  
  
"It's getting pretty heavy out here," the driver said. Haley tried to decide if he was being serious or if it was just another pick up line. "It could get dangerous. Why don't you just hop in the backseat and we'll take you wherever you need to go."  
  
"I don't think so," she answered, praying that they would just leave her alone. She looked around at her surroundings, looking to see if anyone was around. There wasn't a soul anywhere. "Why don't you just run along now?"  
  
"I'm serious," he replied. "When it rains it pours around here. It can get really bad sometimes. You wouldn't want you to get hurt."  
  
"Yeah," the passenger agreed. "We could keep you company. And if we happen to end up in bed together, than so be it." He had a sick smile on his face. A shiver ran up and down Haley's spine at the sight.  
  
"My answer stands firm at no," she repeated. She noted that the driver seemed to be a better guy than the passenger is. "I'm meeting someone in a few and they should be here to pick me up any minute now. So I think I'll be fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm positive."  
  
"You're lose," one of them said before they drove off into the night. Haley let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She was so happy that they didn't do anything, she had been so scared they were gonna attack her or something.  
  
"Whatever," she mumbled to herself. After another ten minutes of walking, she had finally reached someplace. She had no idea where she was, but she didn't care as long as she was away from Brooke. She shook herself off in an unsuccessful attempt to dry herself off before entering the bar. She looked around, surprised to find that it wasn't very busy at all. There was maybe a total of ten people in the building, not counting the bartenders and waiters. She wiped off her feet and made her way over to the bar. She sat down in an empty stool and waited for the bartender to serve her.  
  
"What can I get for you?" asked the woman. Haley thought she looked like she was her age, which was much to young to be working in a bar, that must be way she didn't ask for an ID. She shook her head, not wanting to give it too much thought, she had enough o think about as it was.  
  
"Yeah, I'll just have a beer, any kind will do," she answered. She didn't drink very much so she couldn't think of any kinds. The girl nodded and went to get the beverage. She was back within a minute. "Thanks." They girl left to serve another customer. Haley was about to take a sip when she realized what she was doing. She sighed and out the bottle back on the counter. She shook her head, not believing she had almost been so stupid. They man sitting at a table near by spotted her sitting by herself and walked over to her.  
  
"Hey," he greeted her. She rolled her eyes and nodded her head in recognition. She wasn't really worried this time, since she wasn't alone. If the guy tried anything, there were others around to protect her. "Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"It's a free country last time I checked," she replied, playing with the pealing label on her bottle. The guy sat down beside her.  
  
"You see I have this teddy bear," he began. Haley raised an eyebrow at that. "It's really important to me, my father gave it to me the day I was born. Ever since I was a baby, I haven't been able to sleep without him."  
  
"Are you going somewhere with this?"  
  
"Well, I seem to have lost him," he continued. "So I was just wondering if you would sleep with me." Haley looked over at the serious look on his face and burst out laughing. The guy smiled at her. "I thought you'd liked that."  
  
"Are you serious?" she chuckled. "Do girls actually fall for that?"  
  
"Naw, it just looked like you were bummed out so I thought that might cheer you up." Haley nodded and smiled, showing him that it has worked somewhat. "A buddy of mine uses that one, and you'd be amazed at how many girls fall for that."  
  
"They wouldn't happen to be of the blonde variety would they?" The guy laughed and nodded. "So, besides cheering strange girls up, what are you doing here? You seem like a nice guy, good looking, how come you don't have a girlfriend?"  
  
"Just the curse of a nice guy, I guess," he sighed. "Girls just don't seem to fall for us. They always seem to dig the bad ones." Haley sighed, thinking about her own guy troubles.  
  
"Don't I know it." She glanced over and locked eyes with the guy. She was surprised to find that she was attracted to him. She shook her head, not wanting to get caught up with the feeling. "So, what does it say on your birth certificate under name? Prince Charming?" He chuckled and gave her a bright smile. Haley thought he had beautiful teeth. She smiled back at him.  
  
"While I have been called that on more than one occasion," he laughed. "The official name you will find on my driver's license, which by the way you will never see because it's a horrible picture, is Scott Walsh." Haley smile faded as she heard his name. She quickly adverted her eyes back to her beer. Scott noticed her change in attitude immediately. He reached out and touched her shoulder. "What's wrong? Did I saw something?"  
  
"No, no, it's not you," she stuttered, getting off the stool. "It's just...bad association with that name." She backed away and he looked after her. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault, but I just...I can't do this...any of it. I'm sorry." He watches as she runs out the door. They bartender sees her leave.  
  
"Hey, you have to pay for your beer!"  
  
"I got it," Scott says, digging through his pockets for the money. He handed her the money and looked back at the door Haley had just run through.  
  
Haley took a deep breath; glad to be outside in the fresh air even if it was still pouring ran. She ran a hand through her hair and sat down on the curb. She couldn't believe what she was feeling just moments ago. She had started to like Scott and she some how felt that was betraying Nathan in some way. And at that thought she felt she was betraying Brooke. She sighed and pulled out her cell phone from her pocket. She dialed the number she knew so well and waited for an answer.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey," Haley greeted in a sad voice.  
  
"Hales?" Peyton asked in surprise. She pushed herself up from her sitting position on her bed. She put her sketchbook on the table. "Is that you?"  
  
"The one and only," she replied. "How've you been, girl?" She was trying to sound light and airy, but she knew Peyton would see right through it.  
  
"Horrible," she sighed. "First I find out you that you left then Brooke calls me and says that she's gone too." Haley frowned, feeling bad that Peyton was all alone. She never really thought about how Peyton would feel without her and Brooke around.  
  
"I'm sorry, Pey," Haley says, truthfully. Peyton could sense the sadness in her best friend's voice.  
  
"What's up, Hales?" Peyton asks. "You sound like you're about to cry." Haley sniffled, realizing that the blonde was right. She shook her head.  
  
"Naw, I'm okay," she lies. "I just really needed to hear a familiar voice."  
  
"Where are you?" Peyton asked even though she knew that Haley wouldn't tell her the truth. Haley looked around.  
  
"A place that is else," she answered with a smile. She knew that would make the blonde crazy. Peyton always hated it when she didn't give her a straight answer.  
  
"That's what I thought." Peyton paused as she stood up to walk around. "So, are you sure you don't need anything? Cause it sounds like you have a problem." Haley thought about her problem. She figured that if she asked Peyton about Scott, Peyton would think that she's crazy. She'll just ask Brooke about it when she gets back. And she was going back, she decided. There was no point in holding a grudge against her. After all she was the only thing she had left.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure," she told her. "I just really needed to hear your voice, that's all. I'm sorry that I called you for nothing."  
  
"No, no," Peyton assured her. "That's totally cool. I've been waiting to hear from you for the past few days. I was really worried." Haley smiled at that.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"More than you can ever imagine," Peyton answered truthfully. "Promise that you'll call again? I need to know that you're okay."  
  
"Sure," Haley answered, not knowing if she was lying or not.  
  
"No matter what time it is," Peyton demanded. "Even if you just want me to sing you 'Mary Had A Little Lamb', promise you'll call if you need me?"  
  
"I promise." The thunder snapped in the sky and Haley decided that she needed to get out of the rain. "Look, I'm really sorry, but I gotta go."  
  
"Okay," Peyton sighed in sadness. "Be careful. And Hales?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I love you." Haley smiled.  
  
"It's good to know someone does," she sighed. "I love you, too. I'll talk to you again someday."  
  
"You better," Peyton warned her. "Bye, Hales."  
  
"Bye." Haley disconnected her phone. She stared at the phone for a moment as if she was scared of it. She scrolled down the screen until she found the number she was looking for. She took a deep breath and pressed call. When there was no answer after the fifth ring, Haley started to worry that she wasn't there. Finally there was an answer.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Can you come and pick me up?" she asked in a defeated tone. She hated to ask for help, but when she did it, she did it proudly.  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"Some bar," Haley answered. "It's about a five minute drive. Just go straight down the road." Brooke wiped her eyes, slipped on her shoes and walked out the door as she was given the instructions.  
  
"I'll be there soon," she said as she ran to the car and started it. "Hey, Hales?"  
  
"Uh huh?"  
  
"I'm sorry." Before Haley had a change to reply, Brooke hung up the phone. She pulled out of the parking lot and drove in the direction Haley had given her. Hoping beyond hope that Haley would forgive her.  
  
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Okay, before you go and start flaming this chapter, I know it totally sucked so you don't have to tell me. I have a really bad headache and this chair is killing my back. It's no excuse, but....If you have something to say, please leave me a review. Thanks for reading this horrible chapter. Peace. 


	15. You Can't Be Serious

Author's Note: Well hello to everyone out there. I hope you all liked the last chapter, I wouldn't know since not too many of you reviewed! That's okay though, thanks to everyone who did. I know it was probably just because it was so horrible, I understand. Thanks for not flaming it. I hope this one will make up for it, I don't know if it will though, because I have know idea what's going to happen yet. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Well. No more waiting, here's the next chapter...  
  
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Brooke drove slowly down the road in the direction that Haley had given her. She didn't want to drive to fast and crash, that happened too many times in this day and age. She had always heard all those horror stories of stupid teenagers who drove reckless in the middle of a storm. She had always hated driving in the rain. Ever since she had gotten her own car, she had always tried to avoid going anywhere in the rain.  
  
She finally saw the neon sign that was lit up, saying Teddy's Bar, Open 24/7. She pulled up to the curb where she saw Haley sitting down. She was soaked head to toe and looked miserable. At least she wasn't going to be miserable in the pouring rain anymore. She stopped the car. Haley slowly stopped up and tried her best to get some of the excess water off of her clothes before getting into the car. She sighed when she got inside and Brooke noticed right away that she was shivering. She leaned over and turned on the heater.  
  
"Thanks," Haley mumbled, through her chattering teeth. Brooke wasn't sure if she was just talking about the heat or the pick up.  
  
"No problem." She gave Haley one last glance before pulling the car back onto the road. Haley stared out the window at the bar as they drove away. Brooke thought about how to start up a conversation. "Look, Haley..."  
  
"So, when do you think we'll get to New York?" Haley asked before Brooke got a chance to finish her sentence. She knew what Brooke was going to say and she really didn't want to go down that road. She thought it would be best to just leave it be, for now anyway. It wasn't hard for Brooke to figure out what Haley was doing and she didn't want any of it.  
  
"Haley, I'm not stupid," she began. Haley sighed. "I know what you're trying to do and it's not gonna..."  
  
"Please, Brooke," Haley cut her off. "I really don't wanna talk about this right now."  
  
"We have to talk about it some time, Hales."  
  
"And I think when we're not driving down a dark road during a thunderstorm at midnight is the best plan," Haley commented, as she noticed Brooke's full attention wasn't on the road anymore. Brooke quickly turned her head back onto the road. They drove in silence, but it was a uncomfortable silence, unlike the ones they have had since they left Tree Hill. Brooke hated it. She knew that as soon as they got back to the motel, Haley would make up some lame excuse to get her out of talking about the whole Nathan thing and she didn't want this to be hanging over them for the rest of their trip. Making her decision, Brooke sighed and began to slow down and pull over to the side of the road. Haley sat up in her seat when she realized what Brooke was doing. "Brooke, what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm stopping this car and we are not going back to the motel until we talk about this," she explained in a determined voice. The car came to a complete stop and Brooke turned it off.  
  
"You can't be serious," Haley replied. Brooke sighed and sat back in her chair.  
  
"We need to talk about this, Hales," she said, using the converter on her key chain to lock all the doors. She flicked the childproof button on her side of the steering wheel and put her key in her pocket. Haley watched her in surprise.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Haley tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.  
  
"We are staying in here until we talk this over."  
  
"This is kidnapping you know?" Haley grunted before sighing in defeat and slumping down in her seat. She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to appear angry and to keep warm. She glanced at Brooke. "The heater doesn't work when you turn off the car you know?"  
  
"You should change into dry clothes," Brooke commented as she turned the car on, but not the gas. She put the extra keys back into her coat pocket.  
  
"You could have brought my coat," Haley countered.  
  
"Well, maybe if you hadn't have stormed out of there, you would have remembered to bring it." Haley gave her a 'you have got to be kidding look'.  
  
"Well, if you hadn't have slept with my boyfriend I wouldn't have stormed out and we wouldn't be trapped in this death mobile." Haley watched as the rain droplets hit the windshield and slid off. "I would be at home, with Nathan."  
  
"You don't honestly believe that do you?" Brooke asked in a exasperated tone.  
  
"What am I supposed to believe, Brooke?" Haley snapped. She shook her head, not really caring what Brooke had to saw and leaned into the back. She opened up her suitcase and rummaged through it, looking for a sweater.  
  
"It's not like Nathan was some sort of saint before his night with me," Brooke commented. "You don't think he was cheating on you before he hooked up with me?"  
  
"Hooked up?" Haley repeated, still looking through her suitcase. "That makes it sound like you were dating."  
  
"My point is," Brooke sighed, rolling her eyes. "I was nothing to him, Hales. I was just one of many girls that he slept with when he was with you."  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
"I do," she stated. "Believe me when I tell you that I know Nathan Scott. He isn't the one-woman kind of guy. He's just like Danny, he can never be happy with just one girl."  
  
"And you?" Haley asked, having finally grabbed a loose shirt and sweater to change into. She sat back in her seat, turning to face Brooke. "What's you're excuse? Was the fact that you were helping him cheat on me not an issue to you? Did you not even think to tell me that he was cheating on me?" Not waiting to hear her answer she began to take off her wet shirt.  
  
"I wasn't really thinking about you at that moment," Brooke confessed. "No offence, but thinking about you right before sex would kind of be a mood killer, I would assume."  
  
"But after words, Brooke, you could have told me that my boyfriend was a complete jackass," Haley suggested. "You know, before I slept with him and got pregnant." She threw the wet shirt into the backseat and pulled on the dry shirt then the sweater. She didn't even notice that it was Nathan's hoody. She turned to the girl in the driver's seat. "I know that we aren't really friends, or at least we weren't, but I still would have expected you to give me a little heads up."  
  
"Can I ask you a question?" Haley nodded. "Did you know about Luke and Peyton before I did?" Haley's eyes widened and Brooke nodded. "Thought so." Haley looked at her sheepishly.  
  
"If it's any consolation, I totally bitched him out about it," Haley tried. "We got into this big huge fight over it the night of the accident."  
  
"So that's why you didn't come to the hospital?" Haley nodded. "Karen kept asking when you were coming. She needed her daughter, I guess. That and I think I was annoying her."  
  
"Probably," Haley laughed. They both fell into silence. "So, does this count as talking about it? Are we cool now?"  
  
"That's up to you," Brooke answered. "Can you accept the fact that it was a huge mistake that I would give anything to take back if I could? And that I'm really sorry about the whole thing?" Haley thought about it. She knew that Brooke meant the things she said. She also knew that it wasn't Brooke's fault that she and Nathan broke up. They broke up because he's a cheating bastard.  
  
"Yeah," Haley replied. "I think I can accept that. As long as you promise to never do it again."  
  
"I promise." Brooke held out her pinky and linked it with Haley's. "So you wanna go back to the motel now?"  
  
"I thought you'd never say that," Haley laughed, happy that she'd finally be able to get out of her wet clothes. "I'm so gonna have a cold tomorrow." Brooke laughed as she turned the key. They listened to the engine rumble and then stop. "Tigger, I don't like the sound of that." Brooke decided to ignore the fact that Haley had called her by her nickname for the first time since the fight. She figured that was a good sign. She tried the ignition again and it did the same thing.  
  
"This can't be good," she commented. She looked at the dashboard to see if it had any sign to show what was wrong with the car. Haley grunted when she spotted what was wrong.  
  
"The battery!?"  
  
"Hey, you were the one who just had to have the heater on!" Brooke countered in defense. Haley puffed out a breath. "Oh, great argument, exhaling."  
  
"Okay, Monica," she teased. Brooke gave her a dirty look. They continued to argue over who's fault it was until they decided to call a tow trunk.  
  
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All done. I'm soooooo tired and do not have the energy to re-read this so if it sucks, I'm really sorry. Please tell me what you think, anyway. Thanks. 


	16. Never Go to the Mall

Author's Note: Hi, everyone. I know that it's been a ling time, well okay, only like three days, but that's a long time for this story, right? Anyway, I've just been really busy so I haven't gotten the time to sit down and write anything. I hope you're still into the story. I was going to have this focus mainly on Nathan, but so far I haven't thought of anything yet, so don't count on it. That always seems to happen. I don't really writing about the people back in Tree Hill, but I do feel that it's needed and as long as Peyton's in it, I guess it'll be okay. I have noticed thought that I don't get as many reviews for Tree Hill chapters, so if you guys don't want them, just tell me and I will be more than happy to stretch them further apart. Anyway, I guess I can't delay this for any longer, so here we go...  
  
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Peyton sighed as she walked into the Tree Hill Mall. She used to like coming here, despite what she would sometimes tell Brooke. Whenever they would go there, Peyton would pretend to complain about having to walk around for hours, but she secretly liked spending time with Brooke or Haley if that was the case, even if it was in a mall. As long as they let her wander off to the record store while they were trying on clothes, then she was happy.  
  
But it wasn't the same anymore. She was all alone now, no one to drag her into an underwear store or rake her into going to see some stupid romantic comedy involving either of the Olsen Twins. So why wasn't she happy? She could spend the whole time in the record store if she wanted to or go see a real movie with real actors if it struck her fancy. But she would have no one to enjoy it with. She had no best friends anymore. Well, she did, they were just elsewhere.  
  
She shook her head and walked into the record store to look around. She smiled sadly when she saw the guy that Haley always said was 'Super Hot, with a capital S and H'. He gave her a weird look so she moved on. She found the CD she had been looking for and went up to the register to wait in line. While she was waiting, another CD caught her eye. She immediately thought of Brooke and smiled. Se quickly grabbed it before it was her turn. She placed the CD's on the counter and the cashier gave her a strange look.  
  
"The Get Up Kids and Britney Spears?" he asks in an amused voice. "That's quite the range in music you've got there." She laughed as he started to ring them through.  
  
"It's kinda for old times sake, I guess," she explained. She couldn't remember how many times Brooke had tried to force her to listen to that CD. She found it quite funny that she was actually buying it.  
  
"I see," he commented. He put them in a bag and laid them on the counter. "That will be thirty- two, fifty three, please." Peyton pulled you her wallet and handed him thirty-five bucks. "Thank you." He typed in the numbers and gathered her change. "Two, forty-seven is you change. Have a nice day."  
  
"You too," she replied automatically, as she gathered her stuff and left the store. She pulled out the first CD and began to unwrap it as she walked. She through the plastic in the garbage and began to read the back of the case. She was so busy, she didn't see the person walking directly at her until it was too late.  
  
"Hey, watch where your..." the person stopped when she realized who she had bumped into. Peyton's stomach tightened at the sound of her voice. She looked up to find that she was right. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here."  
  
"I didn't think you'd ever show your face in this mall again," Peyton hissed. "Given what happened last time and all." She smirked at her.  
  
"I could say the same for you," Nicki replied. "I just wanted to thank you by the way." Peyton raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.  
  
"What on earth would you have to thank me for?"  
  
"Well," Nicki began. "Your lack of supervision skills has helped me to get custody of my daughter." Nicki gave her a sick smile. Peyton's face fell, but she soon covered it up. She took a step forward.  
  
"You are not getting Jenny," she stated. "I will not let you do that to Jake and I will certainly not let you do that to Jenny. You are not fit to be any kind of parent to her."  
  
"Oh, and you are?" she countered. Her smile got even bigger. "You're a little sweet on him, aren't you?" Peyton shook her head.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," she denied. Suddenly, she felt very uncomfortable and felt the need to make her exit. "You know what? Being this close to you is making me feel a little sick. I think it's all that Essence of Skank you put on this morning." She started to walk past her, but turned back around. "Oh, yeah. And if you even think about going near Jenny again, there will be a repeat of what happened at Haley's party. And Luke won't be there to break it apart."  
  
"I'll be looking forward to it," Nicki replied back, sweetly before continuing on her way as well.  
  
"Bitch," Peyton muttered under her breath as she walked away. She decided to just let it go and forget about it. She checked her watch to find that it was already one in the after noon. Suddenly, her stomach began to growl so she made her way to the food court. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't that busy. There were maybe three people in each line. Deciding to get a sub, it was always Haley's favorite; she walked over to wait in line for Subway.  
  
"I almost didn't recognize you," came a voice from behind. Peyton froze. "You look so different when you're not barging into my home and screaming at me and my girlfriend." Peyton quickly turned around.  
  
"HALEY is your girlfriend," she corrected in a loud voice, which caused a few customers to stare at them. "Or at least she used to be, before you pulled a Dan Scott and cheated on her."  
  
"You have no idea how much alike my father and me are," Nathan replied, referring to the fact that Haley was pregnant. He knew for a fact that she didn't know about that because if she did, she would have come back for an encore performance.  
  
"What. Ever," Peyton stated in an annoyed voice. She had had enough of him and she didn't feel like making a scene so she turned back around. There was no more noise from behind her and Peyton had thought he had left until she heard a female voice.  
  
"Nate-baby," she whined. "I don't feel like Subway. I want something else." Peyton knew it was the same girl as before and had to fight the urge to turn around and deck them both. Nathan put an arm around her and pulled her close.  
  
"Come on, baby," he replied with a smirk, knowing Peyton could hear him. "This is my favorite. Please can we just eat here?" Peyton whipped back around, this time she was far more than annoyed. Nathan pretended to have forgotten she was there. "Oh, Peyton, I never did get to introduce you two before. Peyton, this is Julia. Julia this is Peyton."  
  
"You are so lucky that we are in a public place right now," she warned him. "Cause if we weren't, both you and your little bitch would get it." Julia looked offended, but Nathan just seemed to enjoy it.  
  
"Hey," Julia argued. "Just who do you think you are? First you lock me out of my boyfriend's house then..." Peyton pushed her aside and she fell to the floor. Nathan looked surprised by her action, but tried not to let it show. Peyton ignore the girl's cries of protest and stepped closer.  
  
"What are you doing?" he questioned. "You can't just throw people around like that."  
  
"But it's okay for you to just play with people's feelings like that?" she countered. "How could you, Nate? Haley is like the sweetest girl in the world. She would never hurt anyone. What did she ever do to you?"  
  
"Nothing," he answered. "She did absolutely nothing." His smile returned to his face. "That's why it's so much fun." Peyton suddenly had the urge to throw up, but she settled for slapping him instead. She backed away before he had a chance to retaliate.  
  
"You make me sick," she spat at him. "I can't believe I ever went out with you." She suddenly lost her appetite and got out of line. "You ever talk about Haley like that again, and I'll hit more than your face, you got it?"  
  
"Sure," he said, moving to help Julia up off the ground. "Whatever." Peyton gave them one last look before walking away. She was fuming by the time she made it to the parking lot. She threw her bag in the backseat and got in the car, slamming the door closed. She shoved her key in the ignition and started the car.  
  
"Note to self," she muttered. "Never go to the mall again." She put the car in drive and pressed on the gas, speeding away.  
  
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All done. I guess I got Nathan in there anyway. Please tell me if you liked it and tell me if you want more runaways and less Tree Hill. Okay, see ya later. 


	17. We're Screwed

Author's Note: Hello everybody, well everybody who reads this story. I hope you all liked Peyton bitching at Nathan and Nicki. That was so much fun to write, I really dislike both of them. If you enjoy Nathan as an asshole, then you might want to check out my other OTH story, In An Instant. I'm in desperate need for reviews on that one and if you wouldn't mind reading it, I'd be very thankful. Anyway, no that I'm done pimping my own story, on with this one...  
  
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It had taken a while for them to finally get a tow truck to come out and pick them up. Apparently, they don't like to come out in the rain. After the truck finally came and they convinced the driver to let them stay in their car, he didn't look like he was very friendly; they had gone to the body shop.  
  
"You can't be serious," Brooke exclaimed as the guy told her how much it would be to replace the battery. "There is not way we can afford that."  
  
"I'm sorry Miss," the guy said as he spit out his gum. The girls looked on in disgust. "But that is absolutely the lowest I can go." Brooke sighed, trying to think of someway they could get around this. She turned to Haley and looked at her expectantly.  
  
"Well, go on, Hales," she said, pushing the girl forward. "Sell him your baby."  
  
"Brooke!" Haley exclaimed, moving to stand behind her friend. The guy kept giving her weird looks and it was really starting to freak her out. Brooke rolled her eyes as Haley hid behind her, like she could protect her if the guy decided to do anything.  
  
"Jeez," she teased. "Way to be selfish." Haley poked her in the back and Brooke giggled. "Sorry." The guy watched on with a smile on his face.  
  
"If you two are done with the flirting," he began. Both girls turned to look at him, they had forgotten her was even there. "We can work out how I'm going to get paid." He brought a hand and ran it over his face it an effort to clean it off, but only succeed in making it greasier. Brooke smirked.  
  
"You know if this was a really bad porn movie," Brooke began. "We'd be having a three way right about now." Haley's eyes got about three sizes bigger and she playfully pushed Brooke.  
  
"Do not give him any ideas," she warned her. Brooke pouted at her and turned back to the guy to find a sick smile on his face.  
  
"Okay," she said, regretting saying anything in the first place. She decided to change the subject back to the matter at hand. "So, how much is it going to be in total?"  
  
"Well," he started. He began to calculate the total in his head. "With the tow and the service plus the actual battery... probably about fifteen hundred." Both their mouth's hung open. "Plus tip."  
  
"I'm telling you, three way," Brooke muttered, which earned her another hit from Haley. Brooke looked back at her and gave her a sorry look. She turned back to the guy. "Look, can I talk to my friend for a moment?"  
  
"Be my guest." He went back to looking a their car, while Brooke dragged Haley over to the corner of the shop.  
  
"Okay," Brooke began. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Haley shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"I don't know," she answered. "I only have about five hundred from my Café savings and the three that Karen made me take before we left." She searched through her pants pockets, but she knew she had nothing since they were new.  
  
"So that's eight," Brooke added it up.  
  
"Good job," Haley told her sarcastically. "How much money do you have in cash?"  
  
"Why cash?"  
  
"Cause I really don't think this place will take daddy's credit cards." She grimaced as she remembered Brooke's story about her dad. "Sorry." Brooke waved it off.  
  
"Don't sweat it," Brooke told her nonchalantly. She tried to remember how much money she had put in her purse. She dug through her purse. "I only have like a hundred on me."  
  
"That's not even close," Haley muttered. "What about debit? I doubt they take that here either, but I remember seeing a bank just up the street."  
  
"Yeah," Brooke said. "I think I have about seven hundred in there, maybe more. My Grandma might have out more money in there after my birthday." Haley smiled.  
  
"Great," she cheered. "So we definitely have enough to pay for it. This is good." Brooke didn't return the smile. Haley frowned. "This isn't good?"  
  
"No, it is," Brooke reassured her. "But, if we spend all the money on this, what are we supposed to use when we get to New York? Especially if we're gonna be paying for every motel."  
  
"I guess we'll have to worry about that later," Haley said, her smile was now faded. "But we're never gonna get there if we don't get the car fixed."  
  
"I guess..."  
  
"Look, we'll get jobs when we get there," Haley suggested. "If we both get good jobs and we can find a small apartment that take children, then we should be fine."  
  
"Jobs?" Brooke asked in disgust. Haley looked at her with pleading eyes and she soon gave in. "Fine. Which way was that bank?"  
  
After the girls had paid the creepy mechanic half the money for the repairs, they walked back to their motel and slept the rest of the night. They both awoke pretty late and made it back to the body shop before noon, which was when they were supposed to pick up the car. They gave him the other half of the money, avoided some of his not so subtle advances and got out of there the soonest they could.  
  
They were currently driving down a busy highway. They had seen more cars in two hours than they had seen almost their entire trip, which they assumed meant they were getting closer to New York Brooke was driving, while bopping along to the song that was blaring from the stereo. Haley was sunk down in her seat, pretending that she was annoyed by the music. Brooke saw Haley's foot tapping to the beat of the music.  
  
"Hey!" she called to her over the loud music. She pointed a finger at the moving foot. Haley realized what she was pointing at and immediately stopped it. "You were tapping your foot."  
  
"I was not."  
  
"You totally were," Brooke argued. "I saw you." A victorious smile spread across her face. "Admit it, you like it."  
  
"I do not!" Haley denied, trying to hide the smile she felt coming through. Brooke could see her lips starting to curl into a smile. Brooke reached over and turned the radio up.  
  
"Come on, Hales," Brooke begged. "It's not like anyone you know is gonna see you. We're hundreds of miles away from Tree Hill. Will you just sing along?" Haley shook her head firmly. "Come on, you know you want to."  
  
"I won't do it," she stated. "I refuse." Brooke rolled her eyes and continued to sing along to the song. Haley watched her sing along to the lyrics and had to smile at the happy look on her face. She rolled her eyes, not believing what she was about to do. "You're toxic, I'm slipping under..."  
  
"Yes, Tutor Girl," Brooke cheered. "That's the Spears Spirit!"  
  
"You tell anyone and I'll kill you," Haley warned, but had a hard time keeping a straight face. Brooke burst out laughing at the almost serious look on her face.  
  
"It's not that bad, Hales," Brooke told her. "So, you like Britney Spears. That's really not that big of a deal."  
  
"I do not like Britney Spears," Haley stated. "I like one song. ONE song. That's it." Brooke gave her a knowing smile.  
  
"We'll see," Brooke told her. "We'll see." Haley gave her a frightened look, afraid what she might mean by that. She just happened to turn her head just as they drove past a street sign.  
  
"Tigger, pull over," Haley ordered her. Brooke did what she was told, no questions asked. Haley got out and jogged over to the sign that had caught her eye. She ripped it off the poll it had been stapled to and walked back over to the car, reading it over. Brooke watched her very move.  
  
"What's that?" she asked as Haley got into the car without taking her eyes off the paper. "Hales?"  
  
"It's a talent contest," she told her, still reading it over. She looked up to fins Brooke looking at her in confusion. "There's a five thousand dollar prize."  
  
"That's perfect," Brooke cheered. A thought popped into her mind. "Wait, unless they consider flirting a talent, we're screwed." Haley looked at the paper for a moment before looking up.  
  
"Well," she began. She couldn't believe she was considering doing this. The only person she had ever shared this with was Nathan. She didn't know if she could go up there in front of all those people. "I can sing."  
  
"That's perfect," Brooke smiled. She grabbed at the paper. "Where is it?" She read the sheet over. "Oh, I remember seeing a sign for this place a while back. It's not that far ahead."  
  
"Are you sure?" Haley asked. "I mean, I don't know if I'm good enough."  
  
"What harm can it be to try?"  
  
"It costs two hundred to enter," Haley explained, pointing to where it said that on the flier. "We just barely have that much. What if I go up there and I blow it? Then we have no money and we're screwed." Brooke gave her a reassuring smile.  
  
"You'll do great, Hales," Brooke told her. "I have faith in you." Haley sighed and nodded. "So we're gonna do it?"  
  
"I guess so," Haley confirmed. "Let's go." Brooke restarted the car and pulled back on the road. This time, knowing exactly where they were going.  
  
OTH  
  
I know another exciting happened in this chapter, but oh well. I hope you liked it anyway. Please, pretty please, tell me what you think of it. And please check out my other story, In An Instant, if you have time. Thanks. Peace. 


	18. Me, Him and Her

Author's Note: Hey, everyone. It's me again. I hope you all liked the last chapter even though there wasn't anything exciting in it. For those of you confused because I never really clarified it or actually said it; yes, Nathan is Brooke's baby daddy, but since she lost the baby, I guess he isn't anymore. Also, I know a lot of you want Haley and Nathan to meet up again in the future so don't worry, they will. But in case you are all thinking that it's going to be like all the other fics, where he comes in and everything is magically alright, think again. Just so none of you get your hopes up, they will NOT be getting back together. I don't do Naley. Sorry.  
  
PS: lattertyluver23- While I do admit that I love Britney Spears (That's right! What?), the whole talent show thing doesn't have anything to do with Crossroads, purely accidental. I swear. They just need the money and Haley just happens to be able to sing.  
  
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It only took the girls a half an hour to find where the talent show was. They stopped at a bank to withdrawal the last of Brooke's money so Haley could enter the contest. Haley was going crazy with nerves. She hating singing in front of people, every time she tried it she ended up bailing at the last minute. Plus, the added pressure of their entire future riding on her head, she was pretty scared. She looked out the window at all the people in the crowd as Brooke pulled into the parking lot.  
  
"Look at them all, Tigger," Haley said, her nerves hitting an all time high. "The only person I've ever sung in front of is Nathan. And even then, I was dying." Brooke glanced at her as she looked for an empty spot where she could park.  
  
"Are you saying you can't win?"  
  
"No," Haley corrected her. "I'm saying I can't do it period."  
  
"Why not?" She smiled when she finally found a spot. She pulled in right away before sticking her tongue out at the guy in the minivan who had been waiting to get that spot. The guy honked his horn and gave her the finger before driving off to continue his search. All that just added to Haley's nerves.  
  
"I don't do crowds well, you know that," Haley explained. "Don't you remember that time in English class when I ran out during my poem presentation?" Brooke frowned at the memory. If she remembered correctly, her and Theresa had spent the rest of the day teasing her about it.  
  
"Was that when me and Theresa bothered you for the..."  
  
"Yeah," Haley answered. "Thank you for that, by the way." Brooke gave her a sorry look. Haley waved it off, not caring about that right now. "What am I supposed to do?"  
  
"I could flirt with one of the judges?"  
  
"That's like stealing five thousand dollars," Haley pointed out. "There's a big difference between that and a dirty motel room."  
  
"Fine," Brooke sighed. She turned off the car and turned to get a good look at Haley. It wasn't until then that she saw just how nervous the girl was. She felt sorry for the girl. "Hales, you don't have to do this if you don't want to." Haley shook her head.  
  
"It doesn't matter if I want to," Haley replied. "I have to. We need this money, Tigger, and you know it. We have a total of what left?" She flipped through the money in her hands. "About...two hundred and fifty."  
  
"There's other ways," Brooke pointed out. "We can get money from somewhere else. If you don't think you can do it, then don't."  
  
"Yes, I do," Haley corrected her. "Winning this money is our best shot." Brooke sighed, deciding that there was no reason with her.  
  
"Then what are you going to do?"  
  
"I guess I'll just picture that I'm singing to Nathan." Brooke gave her a strange look before opening her door and stepping out. Haley did the same thing and followed Brooke as she walked over to sign up.  
  
"Name?" the woman demanded, without looking up from her clipboard. Brooke saw that Haley was too distracted to answer, so she stepped up.  
  
"Haley James." The woman wrote it down.  
  
"Talent?"  
  
"Singing," Brooke answered. The woman wrote that down as well.  
  
"Money?" She finally looked up and held out her hand for the money. Brooke looked back at Haley only to find her staring off into space. She sighed and grabbed the money out of her friend's hand and handed it to the woman. She put it in a container that was being shared with the man beside her.  
  
"Sing your name and the song the you will be singing." She handed Brooke the clipboard and pen. "Then just take the sheet over there and give it to the woman in the blue, she's the MC." Brooke nodded. "Next."  
  
"Nice talking to you, too," Brooke mumbled, moving out of the line so the next person could enter. She pulled Haley along with her. At the motion, Haley snapped out of her daze.  
  
"What are we doing?"  
  
"Fill this out," Brooke instructed, shoving the clipboard and pen into her hand. Haley looked at it in confusion for a moment before she understood what she was supposed to do. She shook her head and filled in the empty spaces.  
  
"Now what?" she asked when she was done. She took off the sheet and handed the clipboard back to Brooke. Brooke slid the board down the table to the woman who had given to them.  
  
"She said to go over to Blue Lady and give it to her," she answered, pointing to the woman in the blue jacket standing beside the backstage entrance. Haley nodded and they made there way over to the woman.  
  
"Hi, ladies," she greeted them. They both gave her a smile. One was happier than the other.  
  
"We were told to give this to you," Brooke explained, handing over the piece of paper. She looked it over and nodded.  
  
"Just go on back," she said, motioning to backstage. "You can get all set up with the DJ and someone will come get you when it's almost your turn."  
  
"Thank you," Brooke said, before the two of them walked behind the curtain. They were surprised to find that it was pretty crowded back there. They walked in further, looking as the people practiced for their turn. They reached the DJ and told him what to do.  
  
"No problem, ladies," he told them and he went right back to work. They finally found a quite place and sat down.  
  
"Do you want me to want back here with you?"  
  
"No, it's okay," Haley answered. "I think I need a minute alone to gather my thoughts and nerves." Brooke nodded and stood up, patting Haley on the knee on her way. Haley gave her a smile, thanking her for the gesture.  
  
"Good luck," she said. "And remember, it's just you and him." Haley nodded. Deciding that she was okay, Brooke made her way to the front to fine a spot. As she was on her way, she grimaced when she saw that one of the judges was the guy in the minivan. She hoped that he hadn't seen Haley in the passenger's side. She finally made it to the front of the stage and waited for her friend's name to be called.  
  
Haley sat backstage, trying not to freak out. She was taking deep breaths, in and out. She tried to concentrate on what happened a few nights ago with Nathan. If she just focused on that, on the anger and the pain she felt then, she wouldn't be able to feel the nerves and fears she was feeling now. She brought a hand to her face and wiped away the sweat falling down.  
  
"Haley James?" someone called for her. She looked up and raised her hand. The woman spotted her in the corner. "You're up next." All the colour faded from Haley's face and she nodded.  
  
"Okay," she said to herself. "Just chill out, James. You can do this." She stood up and walked over to where the woman was telling her to stand. She handed her the microphone and left to get the next person ready. "It's just you and him."  
  
"Up next we have the beautiful singing of Haley James," the announcer called. "So, ladies and gentleman, singing Sarah McLachlan's Full of Grace, please put your hands together for Haley James!"  
  
The crowd cheered and the curtain opened. Haley was blinded by the light of the sun. They really shouldn't have had this outside. She stepped out onto the stage where so she was out of the sun. She looked around and began to panic, but calmed down a little when she spotted Brooke at the front of the stage. Brooke was cheering her on. The crowd was silenced when the music started. Haley didn't know what else to do, but to sing.  
  
The winter here's cold, and bitter

It's chilled us to the bone

We haven't seen the sun for weeks

Too long, too far from home

I feel just like I'm sinking

And I claw for solid ground

I'm pulled down by the undertow

I never thought I could feel so low

Oh darkness, I feel like letting go  
  
Haley made her way into Nathan's apartment when her didn't answer the door after ten knocks. She could hear music coming from his bedroom and made her way to go find him. She was surprised to find it closed, since it never was. She gently pushed it open and was devastated to find Nathan on top of another girl.  
  
If all of the strength and all of the courage

Come and lift me from this place

I know I can love you much better than this

Full of grace

Full of grace

My love  
  
"How could you Nathan?" she cried as the blonde made her way out of the bedroom and into the living room. "I thought you loved me?" He laughed under his breath.  
  
"Well, then you thought wrong," he stated. "I don't know what gave you the impression that we were exclusive, but we aren't." Haley looked at him in shock. "We were just having fun, you know. Nothing serious."  
  
"No," Haley cried, shaking her head. She couldn't believe that after everything they had gone through, it was all just for fun to him.  
  
So it's better this way, I said

Having seen this place before

Where everything we say and do

Hurts us all the more

Its just that we stayed, too long

In the same old sickly skin

I'm pulled down by the undertow

I never thought I could feel so low

Oh darkness, I feel like letting go  
  
"What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked. "I thought you said you were going to hang out with Peyton." Haley's stomach dropped to her feet as she remembered what she had come there for. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, just as a tear fell down her cheek.  
  
"I came to tell you that I'm pregnant," she whispered. Nathan was floored for a moment before he came to his senses. He put on a stone cold face. Haley knew what he was about to do. This was exactly what she was afraid of.  
  
"And?" he asked as if it were nothing. "What do you want me to do about it? I wore a condom. It's not my fault you aren't on birth control." Haley looked up at him and was surprised by the hard look on his face. He was serious.  
  
"What are you saying, Nathan?" she asked him. "Are you telling me that you aren't going to take responsibility for this? You're going to leave me to deal with this alone." She wiped away her tears. "Just like your dad?"  
  
"What I'm saying is I want you out of here," he said, raising his voice and taking a step forward. "I want nothing to do with you or your damn kid!" She couldn't take it anymore and fled from the bedroom, past the blonde and into the night.  
  
If all of the strength

And all of the courage

Come and lift me from this place

I know I could love you much better than this

Full of grace

Full of grace

My love  
  
Haley snapped out of the memory and was pulled back into reality by the sound of the crowd. The song ended and the crowd just got louder. She looked around in surprise, not believing she had zoned out like that.  
  
"Go, Hales!" Brooke cheered from the crowd. Haley looked in her direction and Brooke gave her a smiles and thumbs up.  
  
"Thank you," she said nervously to the crowd. She bowed and left the stage in a rush. Brooke quickly pushed her way through the crowd and made her way backstage to meet Haley. When she got back there, she found Haley sitting on the floor in the corner they had been in before. She walked over to her.  
  
"Girl, you kicked ass!" she cheered. Haley looked up at her with tears in her eyes. Brooke looked down at her sadly. She slid down the wall to sit beside her on the floor. "You and him?" Haley shook her head.  
  
"Me, him and her," she corrected. Brooke nodded in understanding and pulled her into her arms. She held onto her as she cried.

OTH

I'm sorry if it sucks. I tried. Hope you liked it. Please tell me what you think. Thanks.


	19. I Knew You Could Do It

Author's Note: Hey, everyone. I'm glad to see that you all liked the last chapter. I hope I did the flashback okay and it wasn't too confusing. That was the first song fic I've ever done, so I hope it wasn't that bad. I know that some of you wanted to see how they ended things so I figured I give you all a little taste since I really didn't feel like devoting a whole chapter to the subject. I also figured that if I showed you how mean and heartless he was when they ended things, you would see that there is absolutely no way that Nathan will be going to find Haley and beg for forgiveness. He's done what he's done and he meant what he said. There is no hope for Naley in this story. Well, that's my venting for this chapter; hope it wasn't annoying and repetitive. Well, here we go...  
  
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Brooke had spent the rest of the show holding Haley backstage as she cried. She should have known that Haley would breakdown if she thought about Nathan. The wound was too deep and much too fresh to be playing with. When Haley was up there performing, she could tell by the look on her face that she was in a different place, but she thought it was a happy place. When she had told Haley to think of Nathan, she had meant a happy memory not whatever had happened a few nights ago.  
  
"It's going to be okay, Hales," she assured her. She ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to calm her down. At this point, Haley had pulled her knees up to her chest and had her arms wrapped around her legs. She was in a defensive position and Brooke didn't think that was a good sign.  
  
"I just can't believe..." Haley sobbed. "I can't believe he said that." She had tried to repress the memory of all the harsh things that he had said to her. She hadn't given it much thought since it had happened. Now it felt like it had just happened. That she had just walked in on Nathan and that girl.  
  
"What?" Brooke asked. "What did he say?" Haley shook her head, not wanting to have to repeat it, at least not this soon.  
  
"I can't, Tigger, I can't," Haley told her. Brooke nodded her head and just held her tighter.  
  
"Okay, sweetie," she told her. "You don't have to say anything." People had been walking by the whole time and giving them weird looks, but they moved on when Brooke would shot them a dirty look, warning them that she would kill them if they said anything.  
  
"I'm sorry," Haley said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She unfolded her legs and moved her arms so she was more comfortable. Brooke still kept an arm around her shoulder to make sure she was all right.  
  
"There's nothing to be sorry about," Brooke told her. She wiped a tear off Haley's face. She ruffled her hair a little. "You okay now?"  
  
"For the moment," Haley replied. She pulled out of Brooke embrace fully and stood up. Brooke followed her lead. She used her shirt to fully clear her face of her tears.  
  
"Ready to go back out there?" Brooke asked her. As soon as she said that, Haley's face paled. She whipped back around to look at Brooke. She was starring at her like she had three heads.  
  
"Go back out there?" she repeated. At the thought, he stomach became queasy. "I can't go back out there. Are you crazy?" Brooke burst out laughing at the panicked look on the girl's face. She patted her on the back.  
  
"Take a pill, Hales," she teased her. "I think they're going to announce the winner soon. And traditionally, all the contestants usually go out on stage for it." Haley began to calm down when she realized she wouldn't have to sing again.  
  
"I'm sorry I sucked," Haley said. She didn't really know how she did, since she had zoned out during her performance, but she was playing the odds and figured she more than likely blowed.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Brooke asked in shock. "You didn't suck. You kicked some major ass out there!" Haley looked at her in surprise, trying to figure out if she was lying or not.  
  
"I did?" Brooke nodded emphatically.  
  
"You were amazing," Brooke assured her. "I didn't know you could sing like that. You should have heard what all the people around me where saying. They were totally impressed."  
  
"Really?" she asked again. There was just something in her that wouldn't let her believe that she was any good. Once again, Brooke nodded.  
  
"Trust me when I tell you they were blown away," Brooke said. "And I'm not just saying that." Haley smiled, proud of herself for actually doing something right for a change.  
  
"So you think I actually have a shot at winning?"  
  
"I'd almost guarantee it," Brooke told her. She wasn't sure if she should have told her that. She wasn't lying when she said that Haley kicked ass and she really thought she should win, but she knew that nothing was guaranteed in life and she shouldn't be getting Haley's hopes up only to have them stomped on.  
  
"Let's hope so," Haley said nervously. Brooke felt terrible about what she had just done.  
  
"Just remember," she began. "If you don't win, you have nothing to feel guilty about. You were amazing and I am so proud of you for going out there." Haley nodded at her, trying to think positive. Despite what Brooke said, there was still a part of her that believed that she could possibly win. She never won anything, so why should it start now?  
  
"Okay," Haley said. "I promise I wouldn't be sad. I promise to look on the bright side of things. I should be proud of myself too. And I am."  
  
"Good," Brooke said, now she was just as nervous as Haley was. "You did great."  
  
"Contestants!" a woman called. Both Haley and Brooke looked her way. "When Grace is done singing, we will be announcing the winner. I need all the contestants to be ready to go on stage when she's done." Everyone nodded and began to get ready to go back on.  
  
"You ready?" Brooke asked her nervous friend. Haley took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. She turned to Brooke.  
  
"You have to come out there with me," she informed her. Brooke looked at her in confusion. She looked around to try and figure out if Haley was talking to someone behind her.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You have to go out there with me," she repeated. "I went out there once, I can't do it again."  
  
"But only contestants..."  
  
"There's so many of them, they won't see you," Haley explained. "Please, Tigger. I would feel a lot better if you're there with me. Please?" Brooke finally gave in and nodded. "Thank you!" she cheered. She jumped up and down and hugged the cheerleader.  
  
"No problem," Brooke told her. Haley smiled at her before going back to being nervous. They listened as the last singer finish her song. The crowd began to cheer. Haley looked nervously over at Brooke.  
  
"Was I better than her?"  
  
"By a long shot," Brooke assured her. Haley nodded, pleased with herself. As the crowd quieted down, the other contestants started to make their way on to the stage. Haley took a deep breath, grabbed Brooke's hand and followed the others onto the stage. As they stepped on, the crowd began to cheer them all on again. Haley and Brooke found a spot at the edge of the stage and waited as the judge handed the MC the envelope that had the winner in it.  
  
"Now as you all know," the MC began. "The winner of this contest wins a check for five thousand dollars." The crowd cheered and a few contestants did too. "And as you also know, only one person can win first prize. Now most competitions like this usually draw things out as long as they can by starting with third place. So to speed things up a bit, we're just going to announce the winner." She turned to everyone behind and give them a smile of good luck.  
  
"Breathe, Hales," Brooke whispered to her when she saw that Haley was starting to hyperventilate. Haley nodded and took a deep breath. Brooke squeezed her hand for support and took a deep breath as well.  
  
"And the winner of this five thousand dollar check over here is..." Everyone was silent as she opened up the envelope. "Ashley Harrison!" They both sighed in disappointment. They separated their hands and clapped politely, but sadly. The girl they assumed was Ashley screamed and jumped up and down in excitement. She ran up to the MC and grabbed her check.  
  
"Thank you so much," she said to the crowd as they cheered for her. She hugged the MC, blew the crowd a kiss and walked backstage. Brooke looked on in disgust.  
  
"She was totally sleeping with the judge," she said to Haley. Haley gave her a sad smile, thanking her for trying. The MC walked back into center stage.  
  
"Now for the winner of the three thousand dollar second place prize," she began. Both Brooke and Haley looked at her in surprise. The sign never said anything about a second place prize. "Haley James!"  
  
"Yes!" Brooke cheered. She gave Haley a hug in congratulations and pushed the shocked girl into the spotlight. Haley walked over to the MC in a daze and accepted the check.  
  
"Thanks," she said nervously when there was a mic shoved in her face. The lady hugged her and she didn't know what to do. As soon as she was released, she made her way off the stage, Brooke following in close pursuit. When they meet backstage they both jumped up and down.  
  
"I knew you could do it," Brooke told her. Haley smiled at her and looked at the check. This was the first good thing that had had happened to them in the past few days.  
  
"Yeah," she said to herself more than to Brooke. "I knew I could do it too." Brooke smiled and gave her another hug before they quickly ran off to find directions to the nearest bank.  
  
OTH  
  
Okay, that chapter officially sucked. I'm really sorry that was so horrible, but I promise the next one will be better. We will be heading back to Tree Hill for a visit. And guess who will be making his grand return? Well, it's obviously Lucas, but I thought I'd make it sound more surprising. Anyway, please leave a review to tell me what you think, even if it's a bad one because I know I deserve it this time. Okay, I'm done. Peace. 


	20. Better Off Not Knowing

Author's Note: Hey all, sorry it's been so long. That's so much for the continuing reviews. I'm glad that you all like this story even though it's not a Naley or any of the other ships. The only thing going on in this story with be a little Jeyton flirting going on and that's it. I'm not even sure anything will come of that, but they only appear in like every third chapter so...Anyway, it's time for a Tree Hill chapter and I think this one might be the last one for a while, since everyone seems to like the ones about Brooke and Haley better. Okay, enough of my rambling.  
  
OTH  
  
Lucas Scott couldn't be happier to be in Tree Hill. Well, actually he could, if his best friend was there with him, but it certainly beat sitting in a truck for four hours. He couldn't believe how much this town had changed in just the week he had been gone. The first thing he did upon arriving back in town was head over to the Rivercourt to see the guys. He was surprised to find it empty, no Mouth, no Skillz, no Junk, no one.  
  
After sitting there for an hour, trying to get his thoughts about his best friend in order, he decided that he should head over to his mother's Café and see how she was holding up. He knew how much his mother loved Haley and knew it must have killed her to have to say goodbye to her. He walked into the Café to find it unusually empty and his mother standing at the counter, lost in a daze.  
  
"Hey, mom," Luke greeted her, after she didn't say anything when he entered the Café. She snapped out of her daze and looked up at him. It took her a second to realize who he was before she quickly made her way around the counter and into his arms. "Hey."  
  
"Luke," she sighed, never thinking she could be this happy just to see her son. She pulled out of his embrace and touched his cheek. "I'm so happy to see you. What are you doing here? Keith wasn't supposed to be bringing you back for another few days."  
  
"Something happened that made me want to come home," he answered. He saw the panic come across his mother's face and he quickly shook his head to assure her that no one was hurt. "No it's not anything like that. Everyone's alright."  
  
"Good," she sighed, getting worried that something might have happened to Keith. She smiled at him and made her way behind the counter. Luke followed her to the counter and sat down on the stool. He did a once over of the Café.  
  
"So, why is it so empty in here?" he asked, as Karen began a pot of coffee for her son. She wiped her hands on her apron and turned back around.  
  
"I don't know," she sighed. She looked around too. "It's been like this for a while now. The past week people just haven't been coming." Luke nodded as he grabbed a cookie from the tray they were placed on.  
  
"Yeah," he began. "I was over at the Rivercourt and no one was there. I think that's first. Where is everyone lately?" Karen shook her head.  
  
"Every since that playoff game no one's picked up a basketball," Karen explained. She saw Luke shoulders slump, knowing her son hated talking about that game. He still blamed himself for losing it for the team. "People are just taking some time off. They all heard about Whitey's condition and what happened to Dan and they figured they should lay off the basketball for a while. They all finally saw what it does to people." Luke nodded, still thinking that it had to be in part his fault.  
  
"So," he said, wanting to change the subject. "How've you been? How the Café going?"  
  
"Not to great," she admitted. She let out a sigh of breath. "Ever since Dan's heart attack Deb hasn't been around, she's staying at home to take care of him and Jake has been busy with court appearances and everything."  
  
"Court?" Luke repeated. He found it hard to believe that Jake would do something that would land him in court. "Ol' Jakie boy not as straight an arrow as we all thought?"  
  
"No," Karen corrected. "That Nicki girl is trying to get full custody of Jenny. She getting pretty close too so he's trying everything to keep that from happening."  
  
"Oh, man," he sighed. "That's gotta suck. So you've been here alone most of the time?" Karen couldn't believe she forgot about Haley. She had been dreading this moment for the past week. She knew her son would be devastated to learn that his best friend had left.  
  
"There's something I have to tell you," she began. Luke straightens up; not realizing this was about Haley.  
  
"What is it, mom?"  
  
"It's about Haley," she stated. Luke shoulders slumped again, happy that it wasn't something else terrible. Karen didn't notice the look of understanding on her son's face. "She left town. I'm so sorry, Luke." Luke nodded sadly.  
  
"I already know."  
  
"What?" she asked in confusion. "How do you already know about her? She said I was the only one she said goodbye to."  
  
"I ran into her at a Denny's in Charleston," he explained. "I guess she was just stopping in for breakfast or something. She told me everything."  
  
"Everything?" Karen repeated. Luke nodded, not sure what he said wrong. "Did she tell you why she left?" Luke's eyes widen. He cursed himself for doing it again. Even though he hadn't told his mom yet, he knew that she was going to ask and he wasn't going to be able to lie.  
  
"Ummm.... No?"  
  
"You're a horrible liar, Luke," Karen pointed out. Luke sighed in defeat. "Why did she leave?" She could tell by the look on his face that Luke didn't want to say it, but she had to know. It had been bothering her since Haley left. "Please, Luke. I need to know."  
  
"Why?" he asked. He wished he didn't know why Haley left; all he did was worry about her. "Trust me, mom, it'll just make you worry even more. You're better off not knowing."  
  
"I've thought about the worst case possible," Karen countered. She was scared to death that Haley had some kind of life threatening disease and she was terrified that she was going to get a call informing her that Haley was lying dead somewhere. "Just tell me so I don't have to worry about something that isn't going to happen."  
  
"Fine," Luke sighed. He knew his mother wasn't going to listen to his warnings. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone." Karen nodded, urging him to tell her. "She walked in on Nathan with some girl, they were together...in the biblical sense."  
  
"My poor baby," Karen sighed. She thought back to what Haley had said to her the night she left; she had said that Nathan didn't need her. Karen suddenly felt even worse than she did before. She knew how much Haley loved Nathan and she could just imagine how hurt Haley was right now. "I can't believe he would do that to her."  
  
"There's more," Luke sighed. He wasn't sure whether he should be telling her this, not knowing if Haley would be okay with it or not. Karen's stomach dropped to her feet at the bitterness in his voice. She knew what Luke was going to say, but she was praying she was wrong. "She's pregnant."  
  
"God," she whispered. A part of her was disappointed in Haley. She couldn't count the number of times she had lectured Haley and Lucas about sex, but that was only a little part of her. The other part of her was so worried about Haley, not knowing if she would be able to take care of herself out there all alone. Suddenly a whole knew feeling of dread came over her. "Does Nathan know?" Luke lowered his head, which gave her all the answer she needed.  
  
"Yeah," he mumbled, trying to suppress the anger he felt coming to the surface. "She told him and guess what happened?" he asked bitterly. Karen shook her head and brought her hands to her face, trying to calm herself. She couldn't believe that the same thing happened to Haley that happened to her. "Another girl fooled by a Scott."  
  
"Luke, this isn't your fault," Karen told him, sensing that some of the anger he was showing was directed at himself.  
  
"I just can't believe I trusted him with her," he muttered. He couldn't deal with this right now. He needed to get out of her before he blew up at his mother for no reason. He stood up and moved to the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" she called out to him, afraid that he might go do something stupid. She couldn't blame him for being angry though. She love Haley just as much as he did and she was filled with the overwhelming need to go give Nathan a piece of her mind. She was just afraid Luke would give him more than that.  
  
"I need some air," he told her. Without another word he stormed out of the Café and into the morning sun. He didn't know what he was doing or where he was going, he just needed to get away. He was so lost in thought he didn't even realize he lead himself to Nathan's front door. He certainly didn't second-guess himself and bounded on the door.  
  
"Just a minute," he heard Nathan's voice call from the other side of the door. He heard a girl's voice whining about something, which just made him angrier. He balled up his fist, waiting for his brother to open the door. A moment later the door open to reveal a sleepy Nathan. Luke didn't waste any time before he tackled Nathan to the floor and began punching him like there was no tomorrow.  
  
OTH  
  
All done. Hope you all liked it. I wasn't satisfied with the slap that Peyton gave him, I felt Nathan needed a serious ass kicking. Anyway, please tell me what you think. Peace. 


	21. Sounds Like a Plan

_Author's Note:_ Hey all, sorry it's been so long. I'm glad that you still like my story. I honestly didn't think anybody would, everything seems to be Naley now a days. I personally am not a fan of anything Naley related. I'm happy that you were all so excited about Nathan getting his ass kicked, that means I've done my work in making Nathan the bad guy. And like I promised before, Nathan and Haley will meet again some tome in the future, but it will not be a very nice meeting. Don't hold your breath for a Naley reunion, it ain't gonna happen. Okay, so now that I got that out of the way, I can get on with the next chapter.

**--OTH--**

The girls had been so happy when they walked into the bank, everyone in the building turned to look at them. They completely ignored their stares and proceeded to get their check cashed. When they had the money in their hands they quickly ran back outside to their car and went in search of a place to eat.

"Tigger," Haley argued. "I just won us three thousand dollars, we are not going to go waste it on some fancy dinner. We need to save it." Brooke frowned in disappointment.

"So we're going to McDonalds again?"

"Come on," Haley tried. "It's not like you don't like it. You love McDonalds so stop pouting." Brooke held the pout firmly in place for a moment longer before she broke out into a huge grin. Haley smiled. "That's the spirit."

"How much longer until we get to New York?" Brooke asked, getting really tired of driving. She always thought that a road trip would be so much fun, but it turns out that every town looks pretty much the same as Tree Hill so far. She was very bored with it all already. Haley looked at the map that was spread out on her lap.

"I'd say that we should be there pretty soon," she answered, following the line they need to travel with her index finger. She too was sick of the road trip life. She was just happy that she was getting her morning sickness yet.

"How soon is soon, Tutor Girl?" Brooke tried to look at the map, but Haley had it out of her sight. She sighed and turned the radio up.

"Maybe another day," Haley finally concluded. "If we drive all day today and have a short stay at a motel for the night, we should be there around dinner time tomorrow." Brooke's face lit up at the mention of a motel.

"I can get it for free this time, right?" she asked excitedly. "You wouldn't let me last night so that means I get to this time." Haley rolled her eyes, not knowing what was so exciting about flirting with some dirty guy.

"You surely can," Haley answered, not as much enthusiasm in her voice as Brooke had in her's. She tried to look out the window, but quickly closed her eyes when she saw the sun. "You got a spare pair of sunglasses anywhere in here?" Brooke tried to remember if she did or not.

"Maybe," she answered. "If I do, they'll be in the glove compartment. Check in there." Haley did so and smiled when she found a pair of designer Gucci sunglasses.

"Found them," she cheered, closing the door and slipping them on. She tried to look out the window again and smiled when she wasn't blinded. She looked for a sign that told them where the nearest fast food restaurant was. Brooke watched her out of the corner of her eye.

"Whatcha looking for?"

"Just keeping an eye out for a McDonald's sign," Haley answered, giving Brooke a quick glance before turning back to the window. Brooke smiled.

"Oh, I saw a sign a few miles back," Brooke informed her. Haley turned to look at her. "We should be there in like five minutes." Haley nodded and tried to find something else to do. She folded the map up and shoved it in the holder in her door.

"We gonna eat in there or drive through?" Brooke smiled, noticing that Haley was in desperate need of conversation. Deciding that this probably wouldn't be the best or most lasting conversation, she turned it towards something a little more important.

"Do we know where we're going to be staying when we finally do make it to New York?" she asked the other girl. Haley was a little surprised at the sudden change in subject, but quickly came to her senses.

"Oh yeah, "she began. "One of my sisters lives up there. I was thinking we could crash with her until we find our own place." Brooke raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow; she just figured that they would be staying in a motel.

"You think she'd be cool with that?' Brooke asked. She didn't want to be a burdened to anyone, especially a member of Haley's family. Haley shrugged her shoulders.

"I haven't called her yet, but I don't see why not," Haley answered. "She's probably the coolest of all the James children, she's my favourite sibling. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Brooke nodded and spotted the restaurant they were looking for. She put her turning signal on and prepared to turn into the parking lot.

"Well, you do plan on calling her before we get there, right?" Brooke asked, finding a parking spot and pulling into it. Haley nodded as Brooke turned off the car.

"Yeah," Haley answered. "Actually, I'll give her a call right now. Why don't you go in and order of us?" Brooke nodded and grabbed her purse. She found her wallet and pulled out her last twenty bucks, figuring that would be enough. She didn't want to have to break any big bills from the bank. She smiled at that thought, big bills.

"Sounds like a plan," she answered, unbuckling her seatbelt. "What do you want? Same thing as before?" Haley nodded as she pulled out her cell phone. Brooke waved goodbye and got out of the car, making her way over to the entrance door. Haley scrolled down her phonebook in her cell, hoping that she had her sister's apartment number in there. She sighed in relief when she found it and pressed call. She quickly check her watch to see what time it was, hoping thatTaylor would be there. After three rings someone finally picked up.

"Hello?" the female voice asked. Haley frowned, not thinking that it was her sister. It must be one of her friends or something.

"Hi," Haley greeted. "IsTaylor there, please?"

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Just tell her it her baby sister," Haley asked, knowing thatTaylor would know it was her and not one of their other sisters. She listened as the girl called forTaylor and told her who it was. She smiled when she heardTaylor cheer when she found out it was her. After a moment of listening to the phone exchange hands, she heard Taylor's voice.

"Hay?" Taylor asked excitedly. Haley smiled, glad thatTaylor was so happy to hear from her. Out of all the sibling that they had in their family, her andTaylor were the closest for some reason. "Haley James is that you?"

"The one and only," Haley laughed. She suddenly felt bad that she didn't talk to her older sister as much as she had promised whenshe had first moved out of the house, leaving Haley the only one still living at home. "How've you been?"

"Great and you?" she asked, not believing that she was talking to Haley. The call was just so out of the blue she didn't know what to expect. Suddenly, she realized that Haley must want something. She smiled. "So, what do you want?"

"Want?" Haley repeated, getting nervous at the knowing tone in her sister's voice. "Tay, what makes you think I want something?"Taylor shook her head in amusement at how easy Haley was to read, even over the phone.

"Come on, Haley-bub," she teased. "This is me you're talking to. I know you better than anyone." Haley sighed, knowing that was true. After everything that had happened between them, not even Luke knew her as well asTaylor did. "You want something. What is it?"

"Fine," she sighed in defeat. "I kind of moved out of the house. And by moved out, I mean ran away." She waited for the yelling she knew she was going to receive form her older sister.

"You ran away?" Kate repeated. She couldn't believe that Haley, the smartest and most sensible out of all the James children had run away from home. She smiled. "Good for you."

"What?"

"Good for you,"Taylor repeated, with a laugh at the shock she heard in Haley's voice. "I know that mom and dad aren't treating you great. They're never there for more than three days on end. So, where are you headed?"

"That's where the wanting something comes in," Haley informed her. Taylor's eyes widened, realizing what her sister was asking her.

"You're coming to New York?"

"Yeah," Haley answered. "Do you by any chance have an extra room to spare for you're homeless baby sister?"Taylor sighed.

"For how long?" She looked around the apartment at all the people that were hanging out there. If her little sister was moving in with her, there would be a lot less partying going on and she knew that her friend wouldn't be happy about that.

"A week maybe," Haley answered quickly, wanting to reassure her that it won't be for very long. "I promise. Just until I find a new place."

"Oh, yeah, sure,"Taylor answered, not knowing that it would only be a week. That wouldn't be any trouble at all.

"Thanks," Haley cheered. Just then, Brooke got back in the car with their bag f food in hand. She saw Haley talking on the phone.

"Oh, is that your sister?" Haley nodded, trying to motion for her to keep quiet. "What did she say? Can we stay with her?"Taylor overheard her talking.

"We?"

"Uh, yeah," Haley answered, guilty. "See, I have this friend Brooke who kind of suggested the whole running away thing. We're going to get an apartment together when we get there. Is it okay if she stays too? We can share a bed and everything. I know you only have one extra room."Taylor smiled as she listened to her sister babble, forgetting how much she had missed it.

"Sure," she answered. "Just call when you guys get here and I'll give you directions. I can't wait to see you, baby.I miss you so much."

"Same here."

"Okay, I'll see you soon,"Taylor said. "Oh and Hay?"

"Yeah?"

"I expect the full explanation as to why you left." Haley frowned. "I know it had nothing to do with mom and dad."

"Okay," she sighed. "I love you."

"I love you, too,"Taylor sign songed. "Bye."

"Bye." Haley hung up the phone and sighed. Brooke watched the sad expression on her face and tried to figure out what that meant. She assumed that they got a place to stay. "She said yeah."

"That's great," Brooke cheered. She saw the sad look on Haley's face. "That's not great?" Haley sighed and looked at her.

"She said I had to tell her everything when we get there," Haley explained. "I mean, Taylor James isn't exactly the most perfect example of the ideal daughter or sister, but I've always looked up to her, you know? I'm just scared she'll be dissappoined." Brooke nodded. Not knowing how to cheer her friend up, she just handed Haley her food and they ate in silence.

**--OTH--**

All done for now. I hope it was okay. I know there wasn't much drama or anything, but I couldn't' think of anything. They will get to New York in the next two chapters and then I'm probably going to skip to a month ahead. I know exactly how I want the last scene of this story to go and it's after the baby is born. So I figure is I want this to be less than a hundred chapters than I'm gonna have to speed things up. Anyway, tell me what you think, please. Thanks. Peace.


	22. A Lot of Things Have Changed

_Author's Note:_ Hey everyone. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I've just been really busy doing nothing. It was the first week of summer so I had to relax, you know. It's like a rule or something. I hope you all still like the story and I will try to update more often. The more reviews I get the faster I update as you may notice. Anyway, there will be one more 'Runaway' chapter after this, then one more Tree Hill one before I skip ahead a month. I hope that's okay with everyone. I wanted to show their journey to New York, and then get on with the story. I think I'll do four chapters for every month of the pregnancy. Okay, so enough babbling, on with the show.

**--OTH--**

Brooke and Haley where so excited when they spotted the sign that indicated that they had entered New York. There were times on their trip up that they didn't think they were ever going to get there. It seemed like every other second there was some kind of problem preventing them from getting there. Haley was starting to think that it was God's way of telling them that they should just go back to Tree Hill and stay there.

Haley was glad that they decided to stick to it. She was scared out of her mind about having to start all over again, but she knew it was for the best. If she stayed in Tree Hill and had to see him everyday, then she would go crazy. The stress of having to deal with him would no doubt hurt her and the baby. She didn't want to risk that. The best solution for all of them was for her to get away. She was just glad that she wasn't alone.

The irony of the fact that she was starting this new life with none other than Brooke Davis was not lost on her. They were never close, but she had a feeling that would change in no time. She just had this feeling that soonBrooke would be all she had. That thought was terrifying, but Haley knew she would be okay. They both would.

"Shouldn't you callTaylor now?" Brooke suggested as she looked around at all the sights. This was so overwhelming for the both of them. They had never seen so many buildings before. There weren't many of those back home.

"Why don't we stop for lunch first?" Haley said. Brooke nodded and tried to find a place. "Where should we go?" Brooke face lit up.

"Oh," she cheered. "Central Perk!" Haley laughed and shook her head.

"That might be a little hard, Tigger," Haley commented. "Considering it's fictional and all." Brooke rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Ruin my fun," she said. "How about that place?" She pointed to the Café that was just down the street. "It looks semi clean. Kind of reminds me of Karen's place." Haley studied it for a moment before nodding her head."

"Sure," she answered. "Just pull in there, I think." Neither if them where sure where to park since there weren't any parking lots there. Everybody seemed to just parking on the side of the street.

"Kay," Brooke said, concentrating on pulling into the spot. She sighed in relief when she got in there without hitting any of the other cars and turned it off. "Let's go." They both got out of the car and went into the Café. Haley was surprised to find that it wasn't that different from Karen's.

They both ordered the same thing, neither had coffee, which just made them both grumpy. The woman that served them seemed nice enough, which surprised them since they thought she might be rude like they were on television. Their meal came to about twenty-five bucks. Haley left the money on the table with a three-dollar tip and they left. They piled into the car, both feeling better now that they had eaten something.

"I guess I'll call now," Haley said as she pulled out her cell. She dialed her sister's number and waited for someone to pick up. The same girl that answered before picked up again. She sounded tired.

"Hello?"

"It's Haley, Tay's sister," she informed her. "Is she there?"

"One minute." Haley heard the girl calling her sister and laughed when she realized thatTaylor was still asleep. It was another minute untilahe came to the phone.

"Hello?" she asked, still half asleep.

"I can't believe you were still asleep," Haley teased. "It's almost one in the afternoon. You must have been partying last night." Whenher sisterlived at home she was always up at the crack of down, even in the summer. It used to drive Haley crazy because she didn't know how to keep quiet and would always end up waking her up too.

"Maybe a little,"theblondeanswered. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the carton of orange juice, taking a huge gulp. That always helped her wake up. "What's up? You guys aren't here yet, are you?"

"I think so," Haley answered, looking around to make sure they were there. "Yes, we are in fact in New York."

"Wow, baby sis," Taylor laughed. "When did you get so funny?"

"I'm always funny," Haley countered. Brooke rolled her eyes and laid her head on the steering wheel. Haley smiled at her, knowing she was really tired. "We didn't stay at a motel last night so we could get here early. We just stopped for lunch."

"Oh, where?"

"Someplace called Tony's or something," Haley answered, looking back at the Café they had just came out of. "It was pretty good."

"Hey, that's just outside my place,"Taylor informed her. She walked over to the window to see if she could spot them. "What kind of car are you in?"

"A silver Bug," Haley said as she too looked up to see if she could spot her sister from any of the surrounding buildings. "The roof is down so we shouldn't be too hard to spot."

"Found you," she cheered. "Look straight ahead and up seven floors." Haley followed her instructions and broke out into a huge smile when she saw her sister standing in the window of her apartment. They both waved frantically at each other.

"We'll be right up," Haley said, poking Brooke in the side. Brooke jumped at the feeling and looked at her to see what she waited. "What number again?"

"132,"Taylor told her. "The doors broken so I wouldn't need to buzz you in. See you in a few." She hung up the phone and ran into the living room to find her friend was fast asleep again. "Courtney, get your ass up!"

"What?" she asked, just getting up. She didn't open her eyes.Taylor pulled the blanket off her friend and hit her in the head. "Ow, Jesus Tay! What do you want?"

"Haley and her friend are coming up," she told her. Courtney stared at her in annoyance indicating that she didn't care. "I want you to meet her and I don't want her to think that all we do is party."

"That is all we do," Courtney told her. She saw the look on Taylor's face and sighed. "Fine, I'm up." She stood up and stretched. "Can I at least brush my teeth?"

"Please do,"she laughed as the other blonde made her way into the bathroom. She didn't know why Courtney didn't just move in. She practically live there as it was, she never stayed at her place on campus, but that was mostly because her roommate was a bitch.

"I'll just be a minute."Taylor shook her head and started to gather up all the crap that was lying on the floor. She had most of it cleaned up by the time she heard the knock at the door. She dropped what was in her hands and ran to the door. She wiped it open and screamed when she saw Haley.

"Baby!" she cheered, throwing her arms around her sister. Haley laughed as she was pulled into the room, while she was still in the embrace. Brooke rolled her eyes at the display and yawn, stepping into the apartment and closing the door.

"Hey, Tay," Haley said. Courtney, having heard the entire racket from the bathroom came out to see what was going on. When she saw the sisters she did the same thing as Brooke. She cleared her throat, causing the sisters to break apart.Taylor looked over at her and laughed.

"Sorry, where are my manners?" She wrapped her arm around Haley's waist and walked her over to Courtney. "Courtney, this is my famous baby sister, Haley James."

"It's nice to finally meet you," she said. "Tay talks about you non stop. You'd never know you have like five other siblings." Both Haley andTaylor rolled their eyes, which made Courtney laugh at how alike they were. She was surprised at Haley's appearance. With all the stuffTaylor told her about how smart she was, Courtney thought she would be really nerdy.

"I'm the only cool one," Haley told her. They both laughed. She suddenly remembered about Brooke. She tugged on Taylor's arm and turned her in Brooke's direction. "Oh, this is my new buddy, Brooke Davis." Taylor's eyes widened when she saw her. She didn't think anything of it when Haley said her name earlier, but she realized who it was when she saw her.

"Is that _the_ Brooke Davis?" she asked. Brooke and Haley looked at her in confusion. Haley nodded. "The girl that used to make your life a living hell? The girl that made you come home crying almost everyday in junior high because her and her little ho posse would tease you?"

"Tay..."

"What?" Brooke asked in surprise. She took a step forward, but stopped whenTaylor stepped forward to. Haley grabbedher sister'sarm and pulled her back.

"Chillax, will you?" she told her in annoyance. As much as she loved her sister, it really pissed her off when she got all protective. She was worse than Luke sometimes. She shook her head at the look on Taylor's face and walked over to Brooke.

"What is she talking about, Hales?"

"I'll tell you later, Tigger," Haley told her. "You're tired, why don't you go crash in our room while I talk to Tay?" Haley saw that Brooke was about to protest and held up her hand to stop her. "Later." Brooke nodded.

"Where's the room?" she asked Haley. She shrugged and they both turned toTaylor, who was still giving Brooke a dirty look.

"I'll show you," Courtney spoke up. Brooke nodded and followed Courtney into the room, avoiding eye contact with Taylor.The James sistersstood in silence.

"I guess a few things have changed," Haley said lightly. She flinched at the look her sister was giving her. "Okay, so a lot of things have changed, but..."

"Brooke Davis, Hay?"Taylor asked. "I mean, never in a million years would I have thought ... Did she break up with that freaky blonde chick or something? They were always like attacked at the hip."

"Her name's Peyton," Haley corrected her. "And don't even start on her, alright? Leave her out of this."Taylor looked at her, surprised at the anger in her voice.

"Wait," she said. "Are you guys like best friends now?"

"What if we are?" Haley asked. She shook her head. She should have known her sister would react this way. She was one of those people that could hold a grudge for the rest of her life. "Peyton's a great friend, okay? That's all there is too it and Brooke's turned out to be a pretty cool person herself. What's so bad about that?"

"I just didn't expect it, that's all,"Taylor replied back defensively. She was surprised that her sister was getting so angry over the whole thing.

"A lot of things have changed since you left Tree Hill."

"What are you gonna tell me next?"Taylor asked sarcastically. "You're dating Nathan Scott?"Her eyes widened when she saw the guilty look on Haley's face.

"I was," Haley admitted. "But we kind of grew apart when he started cheating on me and pulled a Dan Scott; knock 'em up and throw 'em out." Haley closed her eyes, regretting what she said the moment the words were out of her mouth. She waited for her sister to blow up at her.

"You're pregnant?"Taylor whispered. Not being able to look her in the eyes, Haley simply nodded her head. She was surprised when she felt arms around her, pulling her close. She began to cry the second Taylor pulled her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," she told Taylor, but she didn't know what she was apologizing for.

"I know, baby,"Taylor whispered to her. She held Haley to her tighter. "I'm sorry, too." She kissed her head, trying to make everything better, like she used to do. But she knew it was going to take a lot more than a kiss to fix her sister this time.

**--OTH--**

That's it for now. I hope it was okay. Please leave a review to tell me if you liked it. You know the rule, the more reviews the faster the next update. Peace.


	23. Where Do We Go From Here?

_Author's Note:_ I know it's been a while, but I'm back. I hope you are all still liking this story. Since you're reading this, I'm going to assume that you are. I'm a little surprised to find that I'm getting this many reviews, considering that it's not a Naley fic. Anyway, I think this is going to be the last chapter for the runaways until we skip ahead a month to see what they're up to. I think that's all I need to say, so I guess it's on with the story.

**--OTH--**

It had takenTaylor about five minutes to get Haley to calm down and stop crying before she could get the story out of her. Haley told her all the things that had changed in her hometown since she moved away.Taylor was trying to decide which thing she found more surprising, there was certainly a large number of things to choose from.

An hour later they were sitting on the couch that Courtney had just been sleeping on, discussing the latest turn of events.

"So, you finally gave it up?"Taylor asked, only semi surprised considering all the things that she'd heard in the last hour. Haley nodded. "I thought you were going to wait until you got married."

"I was," Haley told her. She looked down at her lap, playing with her fingers. "I always planned on meeting the love of my life, getting married and having kids." She looked up at her older sister. "Than I meet Nathan."

"I just can't believe that someone as smart as my baby sister would fall for a Scott." Haley smirked, agreeing with her. "Well, a Scott that wasn't Lucas anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you've always been crushing on him," Brooke answered as she stepped out of the room, Courtney following close behind her. Both James girls turned around and gave Brooke a smile.

"Thank you,"the blondecheered. "I'm glad to see that someone else was able to see it."

"It's not like I'm blind," Brooke laughed. She always thought it was the cutest thing that Luke and Haley liked each other and neither of them realized it. Haley rolled her eyes, used to the teasing from both girls. "So, everything's okay?"

"Yeah,"Taylor answered, looking directly at Brooke. "We're okay." Brooke smiled, thanking God thatTaylor didn't hate her anymore.

"Good."

"Not to break up the creepy girl bondage fun you have going." Courtney interrupted them. "But, Tay, we have to go. We're meeting them at two-thirty, remember?"

"Oh, crap,"Taylor sighed, looking at her watch, just realizing what time it was. She looked at Haley, apologetically. "Sorry to bail on you when you just got in, but we kind of have plans to meet a few friends at the movies."

"That's totally cool," Haley assured her. "Go have fun." Taylor leaned down and hugged her, giving her a quick kiss on the hair as she pulled away.

"You guys wanna come?" Courtney asked, feeling rude leaving without at least inviting them to join. Brooke and Haley both shook their heads.

"No, no," Brooke answered. "I think we're just gonna crash here. It's been a long trip." Courtney andTaylor nodded as Taylorwent to get her purse. "Have fun, though."

"You too," Courtney replied. "We're probably going to go out to dinner after, so you'll be on your own for that too."

"Knowing Brooke, she'll sleep right through it," Haley answered with a smirk. Brooke laughed and nodded, indicating that she was right.Taylor walked back into the room wearing a different shirt and pants. Haley smiled, noticing thatTaylor was dressed up. "Meeting anyone special?"

"You're one to talk,"Taylor threw back at her, eyeing her stomach.

"How long are you going to throw that in my face?"

"Until I get knocked up, for sure,"Taylor teased her. Haley stuck her tongue out at her and gave her the finger. "Love you too, sis. Bye, Brooke. Have a nice sleep."

"It was nice meeting you," Courtney called out, asTaylor pushed her out the door. The door closed before either of them could reply. Brooke laughed nervously as she walked over to join Haley on the couch.

"So that's Taylor."

"Yep," Haley answered, a little nervous, too. She knew what Brooke was going to say and she really didn't want to have this conversation. She also knew that Brooke was going to push until they talked about it. "That's her."

"She's just like you," Brooke commented, looking around the apartment, trying to find anything to look at other than the girl beside her. Haley smiled at the comment.

"Don't tell her that." They shared a smile before the silence took over. This wasn't like the silence they had in the car, that was comfortable and this was anything but. After a few minutes, Haley couldn't take it anymore and began to stand up. "So, I guess I'll just..."

"What wasTaylor talking about before?" Brooke asked her quickly. Haley froze and closed her eyes. Brooke looked up at her, trying to grudge her reaction. "About what she said when she realized who..."

"I know what you're talking about," Haley answered in a low voice. She sighed and sat back down, but didn't look at Brooke. Brooke sat waiting for Haley to continue, but she didn't say anything.

"So, what did she mean?"

"Do you remember what you were like back then?" Haley answered, some of the hurt that she experienced back then coming back to the surface. She tried to keep it out of her voice, not wanting Brooke to feel bad, but she couldn't control it.

"I try to forget it, but...yeah, I remember," Brooke answered quietly. She bowed her head, finding it hard to look at Haley when she thought about the way she used to treat her.

"You used to treat me like I was beneath you," Haley continued, bitterly. She knew that she might make matters worse between them, but she needed to get this off her chest. She was starting to feel better about it already.

"I know."

"Like just because I didn't live in a mansion or because I couldn't afford Gucci sunglasses, I didn't deserve to breathe the same air as you." She finally lifted her head to look at Brooke, and wasn't surprised to find that Brooke had her head down too. "You made my life a living hell for three years."

"I was a bitch," Brooke agreed. She looked up, feeling ridiculous that she was trying to make Haley feel sorry for her. "We used to go out of our way just to make you feel bad, but you never broke. No matter what we said to you, you never cried. I always kind of respected you for that."

"I didn't want to give you the pleasure," Haley explained. She looked past Brooke as a tear ran down her check at the memories of what was said to her back then. "I refused to cry in front of you. I always saved it until I got home.Taylor would come home from school everyday to find me crying in my room."

"I had no idea," Brooke answered. "If I had known..."

"It wouldn't have changed anything, would it?" Haley asked, looking Brooke straight in the eyes. "It wouldn't have stopped you from doing it."

"No," Brooke whispered, not looking away. "Probably not. To tell you the truth, it probably would have just made it worse." Haley nodded as more tears descended down her face. Brooke closed her eyes in an attempt to stop her own tears. She refused to make this about her.

"Why'd you do it, Tigger?" Haley asked, quietly. For a second, Haley wasn't sure if Brooke had heard her. "I always told myself it was because you were really just disgusted with yourself or because you came from a horrible home. I always gave you the benefit of the doubt." She looked at Brooke, as she tried to fight the tears. "But none of that is true, is it? You loved yourself and you had a perfect life, didn't you?" Brooke nodded. Haley shook her head and stood up, not being able to sit that close to Brooke any longer. "So? Why'd you do it?"

"At first, it was just for fun," Brooke answered, truthfully. "I was popular and you weren't, those are the rules, you know? Then after a while, I just wanted to see you cry. Everyday, I would try to think of something more hurtful to say to you, but you never, ever cried."

"So it was all a game?" Haley asked, not turning around to face her friend. "I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time one day and became your little plaything?"

"Basically," Brooke replied. "When we got to high school, I realized that I wasn't going to impress anybody by making you feel like dirt so I just stopped. I pretended that I didn't even know who you were, like I had never spoken two words to you. I actually tried to avoid you at all costs, but then..."

"Lucas and Peyton," Haley answered. "I know the rest, Brooke."

"Look, I felt so horrible about everything I did to you," Brooke confessed, standing up, but not walking over to Haley. "That's part of the reason I always called you Tutor Girl. I didn't think it was right to call you Haley, like we were friends. I didn't want to disrespect you or anything." Haley turned around to face her. Brooke was surprised that she didn't look mad.

"If you felt so horrible, then why didn't you ever talk to me about it?"

"I didn't think you wanted me to bring it up," Brooke answered. "And when you didn't bitch at me when I started dating Luke, I kind of figured you'd forgot about it."

"Oh yeah," Haley sighed, sarcastically. "I forget about people who terrorized me for years all the time." Brooke took a step forward, taking Haley's hands in hers.

"Okay, Hales," Brooke began. "There is nothing I can say that is going to erase the things I did. I wish I could take them all back, but we both know that I can't." She wiped some tears off Haley's face with the pad of her thumb. "All I can do is tell you how sorry I am for everything that I ever said to you. I was a stupid kid, a total bitch and I'm so sorry for that."

"I know you are, Tigger," Haley told her with a sad smile. "It just hurt so much. I can't just forget it." Brooke nodded, not knowing what to say to that. She finally decided that she should just leave it at that. "So, what do we do now?"

"Huh?"

"Where do we go from here?" Haley explained so Brooke would understand the question. Brooke let go of Haley's hands and pulled away, turning around. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair as she let out a breath.

"I don't know," Brooke answered, without turning around. After a minute of silence, she heard Haley walk away from her and into the bedroom. She flinched when she heard the door close. "I wish I did," she whispered as she flopped back down on the couch. She curled up, with her head on the arm and finally let the tears fall. She was asleep within five minutes.

**--OTH--**

So, what did you think? Any good? Drop me a line to let me know. Thanks. Peace.


	24. That's My Girl

_Author's Note:_ Hey, everybody. I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update. I've gotten so caught up in my other stories. But I promise to start updating this more often. I still really enjoy writing this fic and I hope that you are all still enjoying reading it. Remember that this is the last chapter before I'm going to speed up a month. When I do that, I'm going to try and make it the least complicated as possible. Anyway, please read and tell me what you think. Thanks.

**--OTH--**

Peyton hadn't really talked to anybody in the last day or so. She pretty much stayed in her room all the time, unless she went down to the café of to THUD for some reason. Jake was really busy with his lawyers, working on a way to get full custody of Jenny. At this point, from what she's been told, Peyton didn't think it was going to happen.

It was all over town that Nathan had cheated on Haley. Peyton had to fight the urge to punch every single person she heard talking about it. After the fifth person she overheard talking about it, she decided that she just needed to some time away from everything.

The only thing that overshadowed the Nathan cheating on Haley gossip, was the Lucas beating the crap out of Nathan gossip. Peyton had to admit, that was about the only thing in days that made her smile. Nothing could make her happier than a good Nathan beating. She hadn't seen Luke yet, but she heard that he did quite a number on Nathan.

Peyton sighed, grabbing her sketch book and began to draw what she was feeling. She got so caught up in the drawing that she didn't hear the phone ring the first two times it did. She finally snapped out of her daze and reached for the cordless phone on her nightstand. She read the caller ID, but it said it was an unknown number. She wasn't going to answer it, but clicked the talk button anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey, friend," Brooke's voice cheered through the line. Maybe not cheered, she sounded like she wasn't kind of upset, but Peyton wasn't going to call her on it. She was just happy to hear from her at all.

"Brooke!" Peyton cheered, throwing her book further on the bed and sat up straight. "I was starting to think you were never gonna call me."

"Not call my bestest friend in the whole world," Brooke questioned, letting out a little laugh. "I wouldn't dream of it." Peyton smiled, imagining the goofy grin she was sure was on Brooke's face. "So, what's up with you, P. Sawyer?"

"Nothing much," Peyton answered, her voice losing some of the happiness that was in it before. "There isn't much to do here without my best friends. I never realized how boring Tree Hill was before."

"I always was the one that made everything worth while," Brooke laughed. She pulled herself up into a sitting position on Taylor's couch and looked over at Haley who was sitting in the kitchen eating her breakfast. They still hadn't said a word to each other since their talk last night. "So, have you heard from Tutor Girl yet?" She watched Haley's head shoot up, but she still didn't say anything.

"Yeah, actually," Peyton said. Brooke was surprised by this information. She didn't know that Haley had called the blonde. "She called a few nights ago."

"Really?" she question, looking over at Haley. She could tell that she was listening to the conversation, but she still didn't turn around to look at her. "Why did she call?"

"She said she just wanted to hear my voice," Peyton informed her. She had been thinking about that call since that night. It had really bothered her because she wasn't sure if Haley was really okay.

"That's nice."

"She sounded really upset, though," Peyton explained. She didn't know why she was telling this to Brooke, but there was just something insides of her that was telling her that Brooke needed to know. "I swear she was about to cry. I'm really worried about her."

"I wouldn't be," Brooke assured her. "You know Tutor Girl, she's a fighter. I'm sure she's perfectly fine." She knew that there was a chance that she just completely blew it, but she really didn't want Peyton worrying about something she really didn't need to be worried about.

"You're probably right," Peyton decided. "Thanks."

"I move out of town and I'm still bailing your ass out of trouble," Brooke teased, wanting to get the conversation off of Haley. She wasn't sure how much longer Haley could take being talked about right in front of her. "Have you fun into Mr. Big Shot yet?"

"Oh yes," Peyton sighed, having a flashback to her last mall trip. "I ran into him and his little bitch at the mall. I pushed her on the floor and slapped him."

"That's my girl," Brooke cheered, happy that Peyton gave them what she couldn't. She'd witnessed first hand the pain that he had caused Haley and she was starting to have fantasies about torturing him.

"You taught me well."

"I tried," Brooke replied. "Heard anything from the other Scott brother? The slightly less asinine one?" Peyton let out a laugh. She was glad that Brooke had gotten over the whole Peyton/Luke/Brooke love triangle thing. They were finally at a point where they could laugh about it.

"All I know is that he's back in town," Peyton answered. "Apparently he ran into Haley somewhere in Charleston and she told him about Nathan. He had Keith bring him back early."

"When did he get back?"

"Yesterday, I think."

"And you haven't seen him yet?" Brooke questioned. She wasn't trying to sound accusing or anything. She just wanted to know. Truth was, she got over them a long time ago, if they wanted to be together, she just wished they would get it over with. She wanted them both to be happy.

"Nope," Peyton answered. "But I do know what he's been up to." Peyton knew that Brooke just couldn't resist any good gossip. Even if she wasn't living there anymore, she always needed to know what everyone was up to.

"Tell me, tell me," Brooke ordered, exciting to get some good gossip. She hadn't heard any gossip in at least five days. She was starting to have withdrawals.

"I heard that as soon as he got in, he headed over to Nathan's apartment and beat the crap out of him," Peyton couldn't help the smile from coming to her face. Both from the visual of Nathan getting his ass beat and from gossiping with Brooke. It was like old times, she could almost imagine that Brooke hadn't left.

"Really?" Brooke asked, not waiting for an answer. "That's so great. Tell me you were there to cheer him on."

"I didn't know about it," Peyton answered. "Believe me, if I did, I would have been there."

"Yeah," Brooke sighed. She tried to think of what to say next. God, when did talking to her best friend become so hard? "So, I was just calling to tell you that I got to where I was going. I'm just staying at a friend's for now until we get our own place." Brooke watched as Haley whipped her head around to look at her with wide eyes. It took Brooke a minute to realize her mistake and her eyes widened too.

"We?" Peyton repeated. "What do you mean until 'we' get 'our own' place? Who are you getting a place with?" Peyton searched her brain for a friend that Broke had out of town, and the only person she could think of, was her cousin in Florida.

"Oh, um..." Brooke quickly racked her brain to come up with an answer. By this time, Haley was by her side,rapidly moving her arms telling her to answer Peyton. Deciding that Brooke wasn't going to be able to answer her, she did the only thing she could think of.

"Brooke, I need to talk to you!" she yelled, trying to disguise her voice so Peyton wouldn't know it was her. "Get off that phone now!" Brooke looked at her in confusion for a minute before realizing what she was doing.

"Oh, sorry, Pey," Brooke said into the phone quickly.

"Who was that?"

"Bye, Pey," Brooke said. "Talk to you soon. Love ya." She quickly hung up before Peyton could say anything. She looked up and saw the amusement in Haley's eyes. She smiled timidly up at her before jumping up and hugging Haley, assuming that meant that she had forgiven her.

**--OTH--**

Peyton held the phone away from her ear, confused by the dial tone she heard. She was surprised by the rushed farewell that she received from Brooke; not knowing what that was about. Peyton figured she must be somewhere that she didn't want her to know about. But the question was where?

"That was strange." She brushed it off and got off the bed, moving towards her stereo. She was about to put in the new Getup Kids CD she bought the other day, but another one caught her eyes. She smiled, thinking of her conversation with Brooke and grabbed it. She pressed the shuffle button and moved back to her bed and laid down to listen to the music Brooke thought was so great.

_Notice me_

_Take my hand_

_Why are we strangers when_

_Our love is strong_

_Why carry on without me?_

_Everytime I try to fly I fall_

_Without my wings I feel so small_

_I guess I need you, baby_

_And everytime I see you in my dreams_

_I see your face, it's haunting me_

_I guess I need you, baby_

"Well, this is depressing," she mumbled listening to the words. She looked at the back of the case. "I thought she was supposed to be happy." Not wanting to be depressed anymore than she already was, she pressed the changed button and let the player pick another song. This time it was a fast one so she was happy. She just closed her eyes and let the happy beat wash over her.

"Is this the twilight zone?" came a voice from her doorway. She knew how it was instantly without having to open her eyes. "Cause I swear I hear the sounds of Britney Spears filling this room."

"Lucas!" she cheered, jumping up to give him a hug. When she pulled back the only sign of injury was a black eye. She touched it lightly. "I guess that means you won?"

"You mean to tell me you had some doubt?"

"Never," Peyton laughed, moving back over to the bed, turning down the music. Luke followed, flopping down on the end of the bed as well.

"So, what's with the music anyway?" he asked, picking up the CD case to admire the picture on the back. "You were just suddenly struck with the Spears bug or something?" Peyton laughed and playfully kicked him in the side.

"No," she said. "I just got it for Brooke."

"Brooke already has this CD," he answered. "I know, she used to make me listen to it all the time." Peyton laughed again, knowing how whipped Luke used to be.

"I know," Peyton answered. "I just thought it would remind me of her, you know? She used to try to get me to listen to it all the time, so I figured I'd grant her wish." Luke nodded absently before he realized what she just said. He bolt up right, tossing the case on the bed.

"What do you mean remind you of her?" Luke questioned. Peyton's eyes widened when she realized that Luke didn't know about Brooke leaving. "Where is she?" Peyton gave him a guilty look.

"She left town," she simply answered. She watched in sympathy as Luke's face fell. She felt bad for him, but not that bad since she was going through the exact same thing. "You okay?"

"Not really."

"You wanna hang here and listen to a blonde bimbo attempt to sing?" she asked, trying to lighten his mood. He looked at her. "We can listen to Britney, too." He let out a little laugh at her joke and nodded. They spent the rest of the day hanging out, trying to forget about the people that had left them behind.

**--OTH--**

That's all for now. I hope you all liked it. Just so you know, it will not be a Leyton, I promise. They're just friends. Anyway, please tell em what you think. Peace.


	25. Sounds Like Trouble

_Author's Note:_ Hey everyone. Wow, it's been a while, not that long, but it's been like a week. I don't know why I decided to update right now, my head hurts and I think that my hands are going to fall off any minute now, but I just thought I should write something. This story got the most reviews out of all of mine, so I decided to do this one. A big thank you by the way to those of you who have reviewed, especially the last chapter since that was the most I've gotten of chapter before. Anyway, just wanted to remind you that this is a month after they first arrived in New York. Also, for the record, I know nothing about how pregnancy works, never having been pregnant myself, and all I know is what I see on TV, so if anything is wrong, I'm sorry. I'll try to keep it believable as best I can. Okay, I'm done now, enjoy.

**--OTH--**

"How much do you want to bet thatTay is throwing a party right about now?" Brooke asked as she threw her last suitcase onto her bed. Haley came into the room after her, tossing a few fallen items on Brooke's bed.

"I don't know," Haley mused, flopping down on the bed to watch Brooke unpack her things. "I think she's kind of going to miss us around there, don't you?"

"Yeah, maybe," Brook replied, unzipping the bag. She pulled out a few shirts and walked to the dresser. "She probably got used to us living there. But I know Courtney will be happy to have us gone."

"Oh, yeah," Haley nodded. "She can finally move in now that we're out of her room." Deciding that she should help, she pushed herself into a sitting position and starting taking stuff out of her suitcase.

It had been a month since they had arrived in New York and they had ended up staying withTaylor for longer than they had planned. At first, Haley had promised it would only be for about a week, but then it turned into two, then three, until they got to a month. They insisted it wasn't their fault though, they didn't know how hard it was to find an apartment in the city.

After searching almost everyday they had been there, they finally found a nice two-bedroom apartment that they could afford. They still had most of Haley's winnings saved and with the money they earned from their jobs at Big Willie's and the cash advances Brooke took out on her father's credit cards, they were able to pay for the first three months in advance.

"With those two living together," Brooke began, walking back to her bed. "I can just imagine all the parties they're going to have."

"Don't forget they said we could come by anytime we want," Haley called from the bathroom. She dropped Brooke toiletry stuff beside hers and walked back into the room.

"I think we should give them a few days of peace," Brooke decided. "Taylor made it perfectly clear that she didn't want to see our asses for at least a week." Haley sighed and sat back down on the bed.

"Okay, okay," Haley agreed, mumbling under her breath. "But I can almost guarantee thatTaylor is going to be calling us before the night is over. She's always been the type to worry, so she'll want to check in to make sure that we got in okay."

"Then it's too bad we won't be here," Brooke replied, walking out of the room. Haley sat there for a moment before coming to her senses and following her friend out into the living room.

"What to you mean we won't be here?" she asked, walking up behind Brooke who was setting up the phone they had bought earlier. "Where are we going to be?"

"Come one, Hales," Brooke sighed, turning around and taking her by the shoulders. "Who spends their first night in their new apartment?"

"Um, normal people?"

"No," Brooke shook her head. "People without a life. We are going to go out and celebrate our new property. Courtney mentioned some club that she likes to go to. It's just around the corner from here."

"Do we have to?" Haley complained, flopping down on the couch. She was starting to get her morning sickness and her feet were beginning to ache all the time.

"Yes, we do." Brooke finished up with the phone and sat down beside her tired friend. Haley rested her head on Brooke's shoulder and groaned. "I know, sweetie. I understand that you're tired and you're sick, but I need a night out on the town."

"Then phoneTay or Court," Haley suggested. "Or someone from work. Just don't make me go." Brooke shook her head and patted Haley on the knee. She felt bad for her friend, knowing that being pregnant can't be too much fun, but she didn't want her to stay locked up in their apartment until she had the baby.

"I can't celebrate our apartment without my roommate now can I?" Brooke pointed out. "Come on, Hales, please do it for me?" She knew that Haley would never turn her down when she asked her for a favor. Haley was just too nice to turn someone away.

"That is so not fair," Haley complained, lifting her head off her shoulder to glare at Brooke. Brooke looked at her with pleading eyes. Haley knew she had lost. "Fine, you win. We'll go to your club, but if I get sick or some creep tries to grope me, we are out of there."

"You got it." Brooke clapped her hands together in excitement and jumped off the couch and back into her room to finish unpacking. Haley moped on the couch for a few moments until she heard her cell phone ring. She pushed herself up and grabbed her phone off the coffee table. She smile when she saw who it was.

"Heya."

"Hales!" Peyton cheered. "I can't believe I finally got a hold of you. I've been calling you for the past week and your phone is always off."

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," Haley apologized. "I'm not allowed to have it on while I'm at work, then when I get home I just always forget to turn it on." Haley had to smile, she was so happy. She hadn't talked to Peyton since that night outside the bar. She knew what she was up to though, since Brooke would call her once a week, but it felt so good to hear her voice.

"Home?" Peyton questioned. "You have a home, now?"

"Nope, I live on the streets," Haley laughed. Peyton smirked, realizing what a stupid question that had been. "The guy living in the box beside me likes to snore a lot. I swear if he didn't have a hanger through his head..."

"I see you're the same old Hales," Peyton commented, used to her banter. At first she had found the thing she said to be hilarious, but after a while she had gotten used to them and they were just routine to her. It wasn't until now, after not hearing it for over a month, she realized just how much it used to comport her.

"Is that a good thing or a bad one?"

"It's definitely of the good," Peyton laughed. She sat up on her bed, turning down the stereo so she could hear her friend better. "So, everything's pretty boring around here. I haven't run into Nathan lately, I think he's scared of me."

"And he should be," Haley laughed. "Have you been hanging out with Luke at all?" She had wanted to talk to Lucas for the longest time. Neither her nor Brooke had phoned him since they got there. Brooke was just being her usual 'I hate Luca Scott' self, but Haley was afraid to talk to him after what happened at that Denny's in Charleston.

"Oh yeah," Peyton answered, trying to keep the smile off her face as she watched Luke sort through her record collection. He was trying his hardest not to listen in on their conversation, but he couldn't help it. He was dying to talk to his best friend. "Me, Luke and Jake. We're the new gang around here."

"Sounds like trouble," Haley teased. She didn't want to sound lame, but she just had to know. "So, how's he doing?"

"He's good," Peyton answered. Luke looked over at her, assuming they were talking about him. "He's actually right here, why don't you talk to him?" Before either of them could protest, she tossed the phone to Luke and ran out of the room to give them some privacy. He slowly brought the phone to his ear.

"Luke?" Haley asked, not sure if he was there or not. "Come on, Lucas, if you're there, say something." She was afraid that maybe he was mad at her for kissing him and he didn't want to talk to her ever again. She didn't regret it, but after a lot of thought, she came to the conclusion that it was just her way of saying goodbye.

"Hey, Hales," he greeted, finally finding his voice. He was shock at how good it felt just to hear her voice. It had been so long, this was the longest they had ever been apart.

"Thank God," Haley sighed, letting out a small laugh at the genuine relief in her voice. "I was starting to get afraid that you were mad at me."

"And why would I be mad at you?"

"You know," Haley began, not sure if she should even bring it up. "For kissing you and everything." Luke had to smile at the look he knew must be on her face. She was making that cute little embarrassed face she made all the time. He always loved that look.

"Hales, I could never be mad at you for something like that."

"Really?"

"Of course," he stated, not wanting her to worry about something she didn't need to be worried about. "So, how have you been? Getting that pesky morning sickness, yet?"

"Just starting," Haley answered. She loved this feeling. She had forgotten how good it felt to just talk like this with her best friend. It was like for a little bit she could just forget about all the drama she was going through.

"Hey, Tutor Girl!" Brooke called coming out of her room, not realizing that Haley was talking to Lucas. "Who's on the phone?" Haley closed her eyes, knowing that Luke had to have heard Brooke's outburst.

"Who was that?" Luke asked, not processing what had been said. When it finally clicked, remembering the name the person had called her, his eyes widened. "Did she just call you Tutor Girl?"

"One minute, _Luke_," she told him. Brooke's eyes widened and she clasped a hand over her mouth. She just blew their cover. She looked at Haley, hoping for forgiveness. Haley just shook her head, not that mad at the girl. She knew it wasn't her fault.

"Good job, Tigger."

"Sorry," she mumbled, walking over to join her fellow runaway on the couch. So much for going out tonight, this was going to take a while.

**--OTH--**

That's all for now. I know it wasn't that great, but I hope it was good enough. Please tell me what you think and I'll try to update again soon. Peace.


	26. What the Hell is Going On?

_Author's Note:_ Hey, everyone. I have to thank you all again for the great reviews. I'm sorry that it's been a while since I updated last, but I'm going to try and update this fic more often. I'm not sure if I can do it since I have so many fics on the go, but I promise to try my hardest. Anyway, there isn't really much else to say, so I'll just stop talking now. Enjoy this chapter.

**--OTH--**

"Please tell me that I did not just hear that right," Lucas begged, not believing that Brooke could be with Haley. The thought of them being together was really weird to him, given that they were never really friends before. Hell, they couldn't even call each other by their names.

"That depends," Haley responded, eyeing Brooke as she tried to lean on top of her to listen to what Luke had to say. Getting annoyed by the extra weight on her, she put the phone on the base and pressed the speaker button so Brooke could hear him better. "What did you hear?"

"I heard someone call you Tutor Girl," he answered, sitting down on Peyton's bed so he could process the new information. Haley glared at Brooke just shrugged her shoulders in a helpless manor. "And there is only one person in the entire world who calls you Tutor Girl."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and guess what?" he mused, sarcastically. "That very same person just happens to be MIA too. What are the odds of that, huh?" Haley was confused, he sounded kind of angry. She had expected a number of reactions from him, but anger was not one of them.

"Luke, what do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me what the hell is going on?" He was angry that she had been lying to him for the past month. She knew that he would be upset that Brooke was gone and she didn't see fit to tell him they were together.

"How about we all just relax..."

"Shut up, Brooke," Luke and Haley both said at the same time. She rolled her eyes and nodded. She was used to it from the both of them. They just didn't appreciate the advice she had to offer.

"I guess some things never change," she commented, leaning back on the couch to listen to the conversation. She thought about leaving them alone to discus this, but she decided that it involved her so she stayed.

"I'm waiting, Haley," Lucas stated, not forgetting that Haley still hadn't explained the situation. Haley sighed and leaned against Brooke's side. "So, tell me what's going on." Haley sighed at his childish behavior.

"What do you want me to say Lucas?" asked Haley, trying to find the answer that Luke wanted to hear. It was obvious that he wasn't happy they were together, but he didn't want to be lied to. It looked like either way she lost.

"I want you to say that you're not with Brooke," he answered, loudly. Haley and Brooke both shushed him as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Having Lucas know was one thing, if Peyton knew was a completely different one.

"Please tell me that Peyton isn't in the room with you," Haley pleaded, closing her eyes and half expecting to hear the blonde's voice yelling through the phone. She let out a breath when she didn't hear anything.

"No, she left to give us privacy," he answered in a confused tone. He didn't know what the big deal was; she was going to find out when he told her anyway. "But knowing Pey she's standing outside the room and listening." Brooke nodded her head sadly, knowing that is what she would have done.

"Well, could you check?"

"I guess," he answered, completely unsure as he walked over to the door. Brooke had to stop herself from smiling at the face she knew he was making. He was doing that squinting thing that she loved so much and his brow was all wrinkled. It always drove her crazy when he did that.

"She there?"

"Surprisingly enough, she's not," he assured her. He looked down the hall to make sure she wasn't down there before closing the door and going back over to sit on the bed. "So, what the hell is going on?"

The girls spent the next twenty minutes explaining to him how everything happened and what was going with them over the last month. Brooke even told him who the father of her baby was. Needless to say he was angry, but she shut him up when she reminded him that they were broken up when she hooked up with Nathan so he had no right to be angry. They told him everything, except where they were, before Peyton knocked on the door telling him that it was time to give up the phone.

"Sorry, Hales," he told her, making sure not to mention Brooke. "I think Peyton's cutting us off." Haley laughed and nodded.

"Okay, I love you," she told him. She was sad that he had to go, but she knew that if they talked for any longer she was never going to be able to say goodbye. "I'll call you again soon."

"You better," he warned, laughing. He didn't realize how much he missed having Haley around. As great as Peyton was, nothing beat hanging around with his best friend and he knew that Peyton felt the same. "I love you, too. Here's Pey."

"Bye, Luke," Brooke called, hoping that Lucas hadn't passed the phone to Peyton yet. Lucky for her, he still had it. He laughed and shook his head, knowing that Haley was probably glaring at Brooke for being so stupid.

"Bye." Before they could say anything else, Luke tossed the phone back to Peyton who was standing in the doorway. She covered the talking end and looked at Lucas expectantly. "What?"

"Don't I get some privacy?"

"And why should you get that?" he asked, smiling as he got off the bed and walked towards the door. Even though she knew he was leaving, she felt the need to answer the question anyway.

"Well, she is my best friend, too, you know?" He rolled his eyes and gave Peyton a high five as he walked passed her. She laughed and brought the phone to her ear.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, already half way down the hall. "I'll see you later!"

"Hey again," she greeted into the phone, when she heard her front door close. She was surprised that Lucas actually left, but she figured he was going to go find Karen and tell her that he talked to Haley. After not hearing from Haley for such a ling time, Karen was really starting to get worried. Sure, they were all worried, but she was worried like only a mother can be.

"Hey," Haley laughed, watching Brooke's retreating back as she walked back into her room. Haley had ordered Brooke back into her room to unpack, threatening that she wouldn't go out with her tonight unless she was all unpacked. "So, has Luke been on his best behavior?"

"Oh yeah," Peyton laughed. "Are you kidding? He knows that if he did anything wrong, I'd disown him." Peyton smiled when she heard Haley laugh. She always thought Haley had the greatest laugh and it always put her at ease when she heard it.

"That's good," Haley replied, getting herself comfortable on the couch. "So, what have you been up to lately? Any cute single fathers I should know about?" The girls spent the next two hours catching up on what was going on in their lives. Haley was extra careful not to mention anything the might give away her whereabouts. They both could've gone on for longer, but Brooke was starting to get very impatient.

"What's wrong?" Peyton asked, sensing that her friend was distracted by something.

"Sorry, Pey," Haley sighed, rolling her eyes as Brooke sat on the table in front of her with a big pout on her face. "But my extremely annoying roommate is forcing me to go clubbing tonight and it seems that she's going to cry if we don't go now."

"Hey..." was all Brooke got out before Haley's hand covered her mouth. Her eyes widened when she realized what she almost did and gave Haley an apologetic smile even though her mouth was still covered. Haley was glared at her, but was just glad that she didn't have the speakerphone on anymore.

"Oh, okay," Peyton answered, disappointed laced in her voice. Haley frowned at Brooke, but knew that she didn't have a choice, she promised her. "Then I guess I'll talk to you later then."

"Count on it," Haley answered. Once again, she wasn't sure if she was lying or not, but she was going to try her best. "I promise to call more often. Between you, Luke and Karen, I'll have no free time."

"My heart goes out to you," she teased. She let out a sad sigh. "I guess it's time to say goodbye."

"Stop, you're gonna make me cry," Haley teased back. Brooke smiled, knowing that Haley wasn't really joking. "Okay, it's really time to go. Bye, Pey."

"Bye, Hales," Peyton mimicked, using the same sad tone Haley used. She let out a laugh. "I love you."

"Love you, too." Deciding she needed to hang up before she lost her nerve, she quickly finished. "Bye." She quickly clicked the disconnect button and dropped the phone on her lap. She rested her head on the back of the couch and closed her eyes.

"You okay?" Brooke asked, moving off the coffee table to sit beside Haley on the couch. Haley pecked at her through the corner of her eyes and smiled sadly. "Aw, come on Hales," Brooke tried, throwing her arm around her friend's shoulder and pulling her towards her. "You ready to go?"

"I'm suddenly filled with the overwhelming need to dance the night away," Haley laughed, leaning her head on Brooke's shoulder. Brooke smiled and jumped up, pulling Haley along with her.

"Well, then let's go get our groove on," she cheered, dragging Haley into her room so she could dress her up. She threw her down on the bed while she searched her newly stocked closet for something Haley could wear.

"I really hope you meet someone tonight," Haley told her, pushing herself up on her elbows to watch Brooke move. "Cause I'm more than willing to share you." Brooke smirked at her came back over with an outfit behind her back.

"Just for that, I'm going to dress you up like a slut," Brooke told her sweetly, throwing the outfit she picked out at Haley. Haley's jaw dropped when she held up the top and skirt. "If you wear that, you're sure to meet someone too." Not giving Haley time to protest, she pushed her out of the room so she could pick something for her to wear.

**--OTH--**

That's it. I know, I know, nothing exciting happened, but I promise that stuff with happen in the next chapter. Brooke club – alcohol trouble. Tell me what you think and be sure to tune in next time. Peace.


	27. Do You Have a Problem?

_Author's Note:_ Hey, everyone. I have to thank you all again for the great reviews. I'm sorry that it's been a while since I updated last, but I'm going to try and update this fic more often. I'm not sure if I can do it since I have so many fics on the go, but I promise to try my hardest. Anyway, there isn't really much else to say, so I'll just stop talking now. Enjoy this chapter.

To the person wondering, yes the nickname Tigger is from the show. Haley called Brooke Tigger in the episode Hanging By A Moment, when they were in Luke's room.

**--OTH--**

"Are you ready to dance the night away, Tutor Girl?" Brooke asked as the two got out of the cab. They had opted not to take Brooke's car for a number of reasons. One, they didn't want it to get stolen. Two, they didn't know if there would even be any parking spots, and lastly, Haley was afraid that Brooke was going to get drunk even if she promised not to. It was a well-known fact that Brooke Davis could not go out for a night on the town without getting a little tipsy.

"As I'll ever be," Haley mumbled, as Brooke tugged on her arm and pushed her way through the crowd. The almost made it to the front of the line before a big scary lady stood in their way.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, slowly turning around to glare at them when they bumped into her. Haley's eyes slowly made their way up the lady huge body and landed on the very angry expression on her face.

"Nowhere," she answered back in a scared voice. "We're gonna stay right here until that nice man with the huge muscles lets us in." She was trying her best to remain calm and not upset the giant. The last thing she needed was to get her ass handed to her on a platter.

"That's what I thought," the woman growled, narrowing her eyes at them before starting to turn around. Brooke stared at her back for a minute before reaching up on her tiptoes and tapping her no the shoulder roughly. "Yes?"

"I think my friend here was under the wrong assumption," Brooke informed her, giving her a tight smile that Haley had come to know very well. Haley shook her head, not believing that Brooke was actually going to do it, but Brooke never did know when to leave well enough alone.

"And why's that?"

"She thought that I was going to be afraid of your ugly Chyna wannabe ass." Haley's eyes widened in shock as she gaped at Brooke like she had gone completely crazy. Which was really the only possible reason for this. "But you see, I'm not. So you can either move unbelievably manly body or else."

"Or else what?" The woman had to admit she liked the girl. Not many girls her size would have the guts to stand up to her that way. She smiled slightly at her. Brooke's eyes lost some of their fire as she realized that there really wasn't anything she could do.

"Um...I hadn't really thought that far ahead," Brooke admitted, lowering her gaze and wringing her hands together. Haley glared at her for getting them into this mess. How could she have said that to her? "Okay look, no offense or anything, but there is no way that you are getting into this club."

"How come?" she asked, looking down at her outfit. She had spent the entire day searching for the perfect outfit to wear tonight so she could pick up some men.

"This kind of club only takes the young and beautiful," Brooke explained with a little grimace. She reached over and grabbed a hold of Haley's hand, holding it up. "Me and Haley fall into that category. You, however, not so much."

"Brooke," Haley whispered trying to get her friend to shut the hell up. So this was where she was going to die? She looked around. It wasn't that nice, kind dark and dirty and she was pretty sure she could see a pimp at the corner. Ah, good old New York.

"Wait, I have a point, I promise," she whispered to Haley.

"Well, then, why don't you get to it?" Brooke nodded and turned her attention back to the woman. Suddenly she looked even bigger than she did before. God, this better work of they were all dead, all three of them. Three meaning her, Haley and little Brookie, as she liked to call the baby.

"What's your name, honey?" Brooke asked the woman in the sweetest voice she could muster. If all else failed, she could always just bitch her out and run. She may be little, but Brooke was one hell of a bitch when she wanted to be.

"Bertha," she answered loudly. Brooke had to suppress a laugh. Even though the situation was not funny in the least, she couldn't not laugh at a person named Bertha, it was just too funny.

"That's pretty," she answered. "Look, Bertha, that bouncer over there, see him? He's letting all the whores in and kicking the ugly girls/gay guys out." The three girls looked over at the bouncer as he did just that. "Now, he's going to take one look at you and turn you away."

"I guess," Bertha agreed quietly, looking down at herself. If Brooke had a heart ever thought of anybody besides herself and Haley, then she would have felt bad for making Bertha feel bad. Haley looked on in sympathy, nothing what it felt like to not be comfortable with your body.

"Me and my good friend Haley here," she began, throwing an arm around Haley's shoulder and pulling her closer. "Are looking damn sexy tonight, if I so say so myself and there is no way that he's not going to let us in."

"So your plan is to piss her off until she can't see straight and then slip past her?" Haley mumbled, shaking her head at what Brooke was saying to this woman. She couldn't have just left it alone, she had to say something. Now she remembered why she never hung out with Brooke at school, she was trouble.

"But if you come with us," Brooke began, choosing to ignore Haley's comment, not wanting to think about how true that might be. "Then he'll let you in too. As long as we say that you're with us, then you're in."

"Sounds like a plan," she answered as if it were nothing. Both Brooke and Haley let out a sigh of relief and Bertha smiled at them. "Oh, I was never going to beat you up. Well, maybe you," she said, pointing to Brooke. "But she was all scared and too cute to beat up." Haley smiled brightly at Bertha.

"Well, if I'm that cute, I beat I could get us both in," Haley suggested, smirked at Brooke and elbowing her in the ribs. "We don't really even need Brooke. So, feel free to rough her up a little."

"Hales!" Brooke exclaimed. She pretended to be upset that she would hand her over to this beast, but she was kind of proud of her in her own weird way. She's come a long way from being the sweet little Tutor Girl she knew and loved.

"What?" she asked innocently. She laughed and linked arms with Brooke. "I'm just kidding. Let's go." Brooke broke into a smile and nodded. She looked up at Bertha, then staring behind her.

"Lead the way." Bertha nodded and started clearing all the people out of the way so they could reach the front of the line. Not one person said anything when they say who was pushing them out of the way. When they reached the front, the bouncer took one look at Bertha and shook his head.

"I'm with them," she said, moving over to the side so Brooke and Haley would come into his view. His eyes glazed over when he saw the girls and his features softened. Brooke smiled, piece of cake. She knew the were in, and she thought about just taking Haley's hand and bolting into the club, leaving Bertha standing there. Then she decided that she would just wait there until they were done so she could beat them up.

"Yeah, she's with us," Brooke repeated in a sugary voice. Haley couldn't help but laugh at the tone in her friend's voice. How any guy thought she was serious was beyond her. She was just thankful that they did, Brooke's flirting had got them out of many a sticky situations.

"Go right in, ladies," he told them, unhooking the rope and letting them in without even checking for Ids. Bertha looked like she was about thirty, but Brooke and Haley looked their age, which was seventeen.

"Thank you, gorgeous," Brooke smiled, patting him on the chest twice as the girls walked past him. As soon as they were in, they sent Bertha on her way since they had both done their jobs. Bertha got them to the front of the line and didn't beat them up and the girls got her in. Too bad they couldn't get her a man. Not even Brooke's flirting skills could to that.

"Now what?" Haley asked as she looked around the very crowded club. There was smoke everywhere, which couldn't be too good for the baby, and people were grinding all over each other. Brooke did a quick survey to make sure that the club was up to her standards and nodded. Her eyes immediately found the bar and she smiled.

"You go find us a table and I'll grab us some drinks," Brooke suggested, pushing Haley in the direction of the empty table she spotted in the corner. Haley found it hard to hear her over the music and leaned closer to her.

"What?" Brooke rolled her eyes and repeated herself in Haley's ear. Haley heard her this time and nodded. "Okay, she screamed. Brooke started to walk away, but stopped when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned back around to face a serious looking Haley.

"What?"

"Remember, no alcohol," Haley warned, pointing a finger at the girl. She was always doing that, reminding Brooke not to drink as if she would forget. Brooke let out an exaggerated sigh and nodded.

"How could I forget," she mumbled. She was really starting to regret agreeing to give up all the stuff that Haley couldn't do. It's not like Haley ever drank in the first place so it was a lot harder for Brooke than it was for Haley. She leaned down and kissed Haley belly like she did all the time. "We wouldn't want little Brookie to turn out to be as big of an alcoholic as her Auntie Brooke, now would we?"

"Are you going to talk in that extremely annoying baby voice until I have the baby?" Brooke had started talking to her stomach two weeks ago when she had watched that episode of Friends when Ross is talking to Carol's stomach. Even though Haley was pretty such the baby wasn't any bigger than a grape right now, Brooke had insisted that she get to know her. Yes, even though she still hadn't gotten an OBGYN yet to find out the sex of the baby, Brooke was certain that it was a girl.

"Oh until she three at least," Brooke answered with a smile. Haley didn't know how much longer she could take it. Since Brooke's voice was already husky, when she did her baby voice, it was like nails on a chock board. "Now if that was all, I'm gonna continue on my drink adventure." Haley nodded and let Brooke go.

Brooke pushed her way through the crowd, suddenly finding it very hot in there and finally made it to the bar. When she got here, she waited until the bartender was done getting a guy his beer before he turned to her. His eyes lit up when he saw Brooke standing there. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"What can I get for a pretty lady like yourself?" Brooke had to fight back the laughter at his sad attempt at flirting. Maybe if he was hotter she might have found it cute, but he wasn't and she didn't.

"I'll just have two Cokes please," she ordered. The guy nodded sadly, mad that she didn't like him and went off to get her drinks. Brooke stood there, bopping her head to the beat as she waited for the guy to come back with their drinks. She noticed a girl staring at her and stopped her head bopping. "May I help you?"

"I'm sorry to stare," the chick sad, thought she clearly was not. "I just have this feeling that I've seen you somewhere before." Brooke shook her head, wanting to get this conversation over as soon as possible.

"I doubt it," she answered shortly. There was something about her that Brooke didn't like. Then again, Brooke hated most girls that weren't Peyton or Haley. "I'm not from around here. I just moved here with a friend."

"I'm not from here either," the blonde answered in an overly perky voice. Brooke grimaced, hoping that she didn't sound that bad. "Me and boyfriend are just here visiting my cousin for the rest of the summer. We're from North Carolina."

"Isn't the weird?" Brooke commented. While Brooke did find it weird that they were both from the same place, she knew if she mentioned that then this conversation would last for longer than she wanted it to. She spotted the bartender coming back with her Cokes in his hands.

"Yeah."

"Well, my drinks are here," she informed her as she handed the guy her money. She picked them up and started to turn around.

"But I still know you from somewhere," the girls voice called after her. Brooke closed her eyes and slowly turned around. Doesn't this girl ever get the point? "I'm Julia, what's your name?"

"Brooke," she snapped. She quickly tried to think of anybody by the name of Julia and she didn't come up with anyone. "Look, I don't know who you are. I think you have me mixed up with someone else." Julia looked at her, surprised at her tone. "My friend is waiting for me so I'm going to go now." Without waiting for a reply, she turned around and started walking away.

"Jules, what's going on?" came a voice from behind her. Brooke immediately came to a halt at the sound of his voice. She would know that voice anywhere.

"I was just talking to this rude girl," she answered, pointing to where Brooke stood. He looked at her weirdly, thinking he recognized her, but she couldn't tell from behind. Brooke closed her eyes, knowing that he was going to talk to her now. She couldn't do this, not now, not with Haley waiting for her.

"Do you have a problem with my girlfriend?" He asked, moving a few paces towards her. She was starting to panic. What was she supposed to say? What if Haley could see them? When she opened her eyes, her heart stopped. Haley was making he away over to her and Nathan was standing right behind her. This was so not good.

**--OTH--**

That's all for now. I hope you liked it. Since the next chapter is a Tree Hill one, I'll do it on Nathan so you can all see their talk. Please, tell me what you think and I'll update sooner. Peace.


	28. Hoes Over Bros

_Author's Note:_ Hey, everyone. I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've updated, but I've been so busy with my other stories. I know that you guys have been waiting, but it seems that I get more replies for my other stories, so I tend to focus on updating those first. Plus, when you add on the fact that I practically screwed myself in my last update because I'm not sure what I want to go down in this chapter. So, I'm sorry in advance if this chapter sucks, but I'm going to try by best to give you a half descend one. Enjoy.

**--OTH--**

"Excuse me," Nathan called, clearly annoyed that she was ignoring this question. No one ignored Nathan Scott like that. He narrowed his eyes at her, still trying to figure out where he knew her. He took another few steps forward. "I'm talking to you."

"I feel so privileged," Brooke snapped, wiping around to glare at him. Nathan's eyes widened when he realized that it was Brooke. As much as she hated this situation, the look of pure shock on his face almost made it all worth it. Brooke let a satisfied smiled come to her lips. "Hey, Nate."

"Brooke?" he asked, finally finding his voice. He hadn't seen her since that the Classic, he heard from his mother that she left town around the same time Haley did.

"The one and only," she smirked back. She would have enjoyed staying and talking to him, but she remembered that Haley was making her way over to them. While she may not have a problem bitching Nathan out, she knew that Haley wouldn't want to talk to him.

"What are you doing here?" Before she had a chance to answer she heard her name being called from a few paces behind her.

"Brookie!" Haley called, making her way through the crowd. She could just barely make out Brooke's head by the bar, but couldn't see anything else. It looked like she was talking to someone. "What's taking so long?"

Before Brooke could do anything to keep Haley from seeing Nathan, Haley was by her side, panting from the venture over there. Since she was bent over trying to catch her breath, she didn't notice Nathan standing there yet. Brooke's eyes locked on Nathan's as he stared in shock at the newest addition to their little reunion.

"Haley?" Nathan asked. He couldn't believe that she was standing just two feet in front of him; he never would have thought it. He honestly didn't think that he would ever see her again. The thing that surprised him even more was the fact that she was with Brooke. Back in Tree Hill, they barely ever spoke more than two words to each other and now they ran away together?

"Huh?" she asked, taking one more breath as she stood up straight. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw his face. Suddenly, all the air was sucked out of the room and she found it hard to see straight. Finally, she somehow managed to find her voice. "Nathan?"

"So," Julia began, slipping off her bar stool to stand beside Nathan. She held her drink out in her hand, as she looked Haley up and down, sizing her up. She smirked when she noticed she wasn't wearing designer clothes. "This is the infamous Haley I keep hearing oh so much about?"

"Yeah," Nathan answered, tearing his eyes away from Haley. He looked down at Julia and smirked, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "I told you she was nothing compared to you." Brooke's mouth fell open when she heard what he just said.

"What did you just say?" she snapped, taking a step forward. Knowing how protective Brooke could get of her, Haley moved quickly and grabbed Brook's arm, keeping her in place. Nathan's smirk widened as he watched her squirming in Haley's grip.

"I said that Julia here has nothing to worry about," he answered. God, there wasn't anything he enjoyed more in life than pissing people off. Especially when they get as mad as Brooke was. Brooke shrugged Haley's hand off, but remained where she stood.

"And why is that?" She tried to focus on breathing in and out and not on the arm that Nathan had around Julia's waist. She risked a glance at Haley from the corner of her eye and her heart nearly broke at the devastated look on her face. She quickly turned back to face Nathan, not wanting to see the broken look on Haley's face.

"Look at her competition," he remarked, nodding his head in Haley's direction. He gave her what could only be considered a disgusted look. "I guess you can say that my tastes have improved over the last month or so. I don't play with the lower class any more."

"You're just screaming for an ass kicking," Brooke hissed, taking a step forward again. Haley, even though she would love to see Brooke kick Nathan's ass, restrained Brooke the best she could.

"Tigger, calm down," she whispered. She tried to avoid eye contact with Nathan because she didn't want him to see how much she was hurting. She honestly thought that she was over him, she was ready to move on, but seeing him again brought all the pain back.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked, turning around to look at Haley like she had two heads. "You honestly expect me to just let him talkabout you like that?"

"Now's not the time to get into a fight," Haley pointed out. It took all the strength in her to not let Brooke go. Just the mental image of Brooke beating on Nathan was enough to make her smile, but she couldn't let that happen. She needed to be the bigger person.

"No, you know what?" Brooke asked, struggling to get out of Haley's grip. If Haley weren't pregnant, she would have been on the floor by now. When Brooke was pissed off at someone, there was nothing that was going to stand in her way. "I think now is the perfect time."

"Brooke," Haley stated, knowing that Brooke would listen if she used her first name. She only did that when she was dead serious about something. Reluctantly, she sighed and stood still, turning to face Haley.

"Fine," she mumbled, her jaw tightened. Haley flinched a little, glad that Brooke wasn't mad at her. She could tell by the look on her and her posture that Brooke wasn't going to stay put for long.

"Thank you."

"But I swear to God, if he says one more thing then he's dead." Haley nodded slightly, too scared to say no.

"Okay." Brooke smiled sadly at her for a second before pulling her into a desperate hug. She knew that Haley was dying over what Nathan was saying, she was just too proud to show it.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered into Haley's ear. Haley closed her eyes tight and nodded frantically, trying her best to hold back the tears from slipping over from her words. After a moment, Brooke pulled back to make sure that Haley was okay. Haley may be able to say that she was okay, but her face couldn't lie as easily.

"I'm okay," she whispered, putting on what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Brooke knew she wasn't really okay, but she nodded anyway. They pulled apart when they heard someone's throat being cleared.

"Gag," Julia commented from her position on Nathan's arm. Brooke dropped her arms and turned around fully to glare at the blonde skank. Who the hell did she think she was?

"I second that," Nathan agreed, grinning ear to ear at the expressions on both Haley and Brooke's faces. He felt like he was in Heaven. "There's no need for so much PDA." Haley dropped her gaze and took a step away from Brooke. She was disappointed with herself for not standing up for herself, but she just couldn't find the strength right now.

"Shut up," was Brooke's clever come back. She promised Haley that there would be no violence from her tonight, but she wasn't exactly sure how much long she was going to be able to keep that promise.

"Oh, how I missed that incredible Brooke Davis wit," he mocked, holding his hand to his heart to show her just how much her comment didn't hurt. In the fashion of 'if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all', Brooke just glared. Julia's eyes lit up when he said her name.

"Brooke Davis," she cheered, happy that she finally realized who she was. "I knew I recognized you. You're legendary back in Tree Hill." Brooke rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was a reminder of how much of a bitch she used to be back home.

"Always nice to meet a fan," she answered through clenched teeth.

"Why are you hanging around this reject?" she asked, pointing towards Haley, giving her the same look Nathan gave her earlier, a disgusted one. Nathan let out a light laugh, finding it amusing that Julia was insulting Haley all on her own.

"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing," he agreed. He watched as Brooke balled her fists up. He could tell that she was close to losing it. "Is this for the Brooke Davis Charity Foundation or something? You know, like an adopt a loser kinda thing." Brooke smirked at him before slowly turning around to face Haley.

"Tigger..."

"Hales, I know I promised that I wouldn't hit him," Brooke begin, her voice too calm for Haley's liking. "And I'm not one to break a promise needlessly, but in this case, I'm making an exception."

"Tigger, they'll kick you out."

"Not caring."

"They might call the cops."

"Again, not caring," Brooke repeated. Normally, she would have listened to Haley, the girl was practically begging, but she was too pissed off to control herself. That jerk needed to get what was coming to him. "Peyton got to bitch slap him and Lucas got to beat the crap out of him. It's my turn now."

"Brooke, you're overreacting," Haley tried. Even though the only think that would make her happier than watching Brooke beat Nathan up was beating him up herself, she wasn't going to let Brooke get herself into trouble for it. For what seemed like the hundredth time tonight, Brooke looked at Haley like she had two heads.

"Overreacting?" Brooke repeated, raising her voice a little. "Do you honestly expect me to just stand here and listen to him talk about my best friend like that?" At first Haley was surprised that Brooke considered her a best friend, but when she thought about it, the month that they had spent together had made them closer. She thought of Brooke as her best friend too. "How can you just stand there and take it?"

"I'm not," Haley answered. She shook her head because Brooke didn't get it. She couldn't let herself cry over something that Nathan said to her or about her, that gave him power. And she refused to give him that.

"Huh?"

"I think I'm just gonna head home," Haley explained, pleading with Brooke to just let her go. She knew Brooke well enough to know that Brooke would protest. "I didn't want to come here in the first place." Brooke looked between Haley and Nathan, trying to decided what to do.

"I'll come with you," she decided, turning her back completely to Nathan and his whore. Haley shook her head and held up her hands.

"No, no," she insisted, waving the suggestion off. She softened her features and looked at Brooke seriously. "You stay here and get laid, you need it. I'll just see you at home." Without waiting for a reply she looked up at Nathan and Julia, who were wearing matching evil smiles. They made her sick to her stomach.

"It was nice meeting you," Julia called out. Haley rolled her eyes, but nodded anyway.

"Yeah, a real pleasure," she mumbled before turning around and startingto walk out of the club. Brooke reached out and rubbed her arms as she walked past. After staring after her for a second, Brooke stalked over to stand in front of Nathan and Julia. Without a word, she punched him square in the nose. He let out a groan as he reeled back from the pain.

"You're a dick." She smiled sweetly at Julia as she quickly moved to help Nathan stop the bleeding. "Bye, guys."Without giving either of them the chance to respond, Brooke spun on her heels, a sudden bounce in her step and ran after Haley's retreating form. "Hales, wait up!"

"Brooke?" Haley asked, surprised to hear her voice. She looked over her shoulder to see Brooke running towards her. When Brooke finally reached her, she looped her arm in her's and fell in step with Haley.

"Hey, best friend," she greeted, bumping her hip into Haley's.

"What are you doing here?" Haley asked. All she heard for the past week was how Brooke couldn't wait to go clubbing and hook up with a guy. "I thought you were on a mission to get you some?"

"And leave you high and dry when you're obviously hurting?" Brooke asked as if it were the most insane thing in the entire world. "I don't think so. You see, I've got this motto that I like to live my life by."

"And what's that?"

"Hoes over bros," Brooke answered, holding her fist up. Haley laughed and knocked fists with her. Brooke knew that Haley was just keeping up a brave front while they were in public. There was going to be major water works when they got home.

**--OTH--**

I know, I know. That officially licked ass, right? I'm sorry. I was writing this and I kept getting side tracked so if this didn't flow, that's why. Please tell me what you think anyway. Don't forget, next chapter is a month later.


	29. It's Nice to Meet You

_Author's Note:_ Hey, everybody. I'm so sorry that this took so long to do. I got so caught up in my other stories that I didn't get a chance to update this one in awhile. Not to mention the fact that school is kicking my ass right now. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I miss summer terribly. Originally I was going to do four chapters for every month until Haley would have the baby, but that will take way too long. I kind of want to wrap this up soon so I don't have to worry about people waiting for an update. There are still plenty of chapters left cause I have the ending all worked out in my head already, so don't worry about that. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter. I'm thinking this is going to take place two months later. So Haley's about four and a half months along.

**--OTH--**

"Have you called Peyton yet?" Brooke yelled from the bathroom as she straightens her hair. It had been two months since their run in with Nathan and his bitch, and Haley was officially over it. She had decided, after much tears and sleepless nights that she wasn't going to let herself be brought down by him anymore. She was going to move on and focus all her energies on starting a new life in New York.

"Not since last week," Haley called to her from her position on the couch. They were getting ready to go to some stupid get together thing at their manager's house. Neither girl wanted to go, but if they wanted to keep their jobs, they had to. "It's your turn to call her anyway."

"Is it?" Brooke questioned, trying to remember when the last time she talked to the blonde was. They had developed a system; Peyton got a call from them every other week. Haley would call one week, then Brooke the next, but always on different days. Peyton had yet to figure it out.

"Yeah," Haley answered. She sighed, flicked off the television and wattled into the washroom. She wasn't that big yet, but she was definitely starting to show. She stood at the door, leaning against the wood frame as she watched Brooke make herself up. "I believe you were filling her in on that party Kate took us to. The one were you broke our pact and got piss drunk at?"

"Are you still on about that?" Brooke asked, rolling her eyes. Haley looked at her like she was crazy, not believing that Brooke was trying to pass it off as if it was no big deal. "Come on, Hales. I said I was sorry about a hundred times. Can you honestly say that you ever thought I, Brooke Davis, would be able to stay away from alcohol for nine months?"

"Uh, yeah," Haley exclaimed. "That was the pact."

"What do you want me to do about it now?" Brooke asked. She knew Haley was just being a baby and she really wasn't that mad at what happened, she was just trying to get sympathy from her. "Do you want me to let you get drunk?"

"No!" Haley yelled, her hand moving to lay on her stomach. "Hello, pregnant lady in the house." Brooke laughed and turned her attention back to the mirror to finish putting on her makeup.

"Then stop complaining," Brooke laughed. Haley sighed and nodded, deciding that she was done with this topic. She moved further into the room and sat down on the toilet, resting her feet. It seemed as if she couldn't stand for longer than five minutes without her feet aching.

"So, are you gonna call Pey?" Haley asked, looking up at Brooke. She scrunched up her nose, as she smelt the sent of the makeup Brooke was applying. Lately, almost everything she smelt made her sick. "Ew. That smell is making me sick."

"Sorry," Brooke smiled; clipping the cap on the lipstick and tossing it back on the counter. At first she was a little annoyed at all the things that Haley was complaining about, but she had gotten used to it. She just had to remember that Haley was pregnant and that couldn't be the most comfortable things in the world. Brooke would just have to learn to live with it. "I'll call Pey in a minute."

"Make it when we come back," Haley instructed, looking at her watch to see that they were going to be late if they didn't hurry up. "It's almost eleven. We're supposed to be there by eleven thirty."

"Who has a party at eleven thirty in the morning?"

"It's not a party, Tigger," Haley repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time the day. "How many times do I have to tell you? There will be no booze of any kind, not that I'd let you have any, and the music will be at least thirty years old."

"Oldies?" Brooke's eyes widened at the thought. Haley nodded her head, a slight smile creeping onto her lips. She knew that there was nothing Brooke could stand less than listening to music she didn't like.

"I'm afraid so, my dear," Haley laughed. "Jack is pushing fifty, what did you expect?"

"For him to have some hot sons to keep him hip," Brooke answered, her face showing that she was being completely serious. "This afternoon is going to blow." She took one last glance in the mirror before walking out of the bathroom. Haley pushed herself up from her sitting position and followed her out.

"It wouldn't be that bad," Haley tried to convince her, walking to the door.

"Please," Brooke scoffed, slipping on her shoes before bending down to help Haley put on hers. They started doing this every time they went out since the time Haley almost fell on her ass when she was bending down to put on her shoes. "It's going to be like hanging out with Peyton all over again. I mean, I love the girl to death, but she desperately needs better taste in music."

"Says you," Haley teased. Brooke glared up at her playfully and pulled the lace extra tight. "Sorry." Brooke fixed it and stood up, grabbing her purse on the way up.

"Ready for a day in hell?" Brooke asked, holding out her arm for Haley to slip her's through. Haley laughed, linking their arms together and nodded.

"As I'll ever be." Brooke opened the door and they walked out, making their way down the dirty hallway. "I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad."

**--OTH--**

"Oh, God," Brooke groaned, plopping down in the lawn chair beside her best friend. She slipped off her heels and let out a sigh of relief when her feet felt the fresh air hit them. "This blows."

"For once I agree with you," Haley replied. She was sitting out in the sun, which was proving to be very hot, he feet up and a cool drink beside her. "I don't think I've ever been this bored in my entire life. And coming from me, that says a lot."

"I went over there to get some more chips and I got sucked in," Brooke told her, pointing over to were four women were talking amongst themselves. "They started asking me all these questions, I thought I was going to go insane. 'Where are you from?', 'How do you know Jack?', 'What do you want to be when you're older?'... It wouldn't stop."

"That's why I stay put at things like these," Haley smirked at her before taking a small sip of her fruity drink. "I've been to enough of these for my family. I have six siblings, can you imagine how many aunts and uncle I have from both sides?"

"I bet your cheeks hurt after that," Brooke commented. She had never really been to one of these before since her family wasn't really close. Haley nodded her head emphatically. "Okay, so don't let me get up again, got it? We're just gonna stick her for the rest of the afternoon."

"I like that plan," Haley nodded. Brooke laughed and they started talking about anything and nothing at all. Brooke was surprised that even after all this time of being together, they still found things to talk about some how. She didn't know what it was between them, but it seemed like they could never have an uncomfortable silence.

"Oh, no," Brooke hissed, halting the conversation they were having about the hot guy that had come into the café the other day. Haley looked at her in confusion for a moment before following her friend's gaze. Her eyes widened when she saw the ladies making their way over to them. "They're coming. What do we do?"

"Nothing," Haley whispered back. "There's nothing we can do. It's too late to run away... HI!" Brooke flinched at the fake perkiness in Haley's voice as she greeted the woman.

"Hi, dears," said the first one. Brooke and Haley both decided that she was the oldest out of all of them. They all gathered around the girls so there was no escape. Haley was starting to have flashbacks of old family reunions. She andTaylor always tried to avoid all their aunts at all costs, but sadly never succeeded.

"Hi, Patty," Brooke greeted with a tight smile. "How are you all?"

"Oh, we're great," Patty answered with an annoyingly sweet smile. Brooke and Haley watched in horror as the other women started pulling up extra chairs and setting them up around their lawn chairs. "We saw you talking to your friend over here and noticed that you girls were all alone. We thought we'd come over and keep you company. Maybe have a little girl talk."

"That's great," Brooke sighed. She shared a scared look with Haley before putting her smile back on and facing the women. "Oh, this is Haley, by the way."

"Hello, Haley," Patty greeted, shaking Haley's hand. "I'm Patty. This is Joan, Linda and Kelly." Haley smiled as she shook hands with all the women. She glared at Brooke when they weren't looking, vowing to get even with her when they got home.

"It's nice to meet you all." It didn't take the women long to start a conversation about something that neither Brooke nor Haley had any interest in discussing. Just as they were finishing up their talk about cats, Haley got a giant whiff of the crab that Joan was eating and felt sick to her stomach.

"Haley, what's wrong, dear?" asked Kelly, spotting the sudden look of pain on Haley's face. Brooke snapped out of her daydream at the question and glanced over at Haley in concern only to see a familiar look on her face. She couldn't help the smile that spread to her lips.

"Yeah, Hales," Brooke teased, her smiled widening when Haley glared at her. Haley stared at Brooke for a moment longer before turning back to the woman.

"It's just the smell," Haley explained, her hand moving to her stomach again. "I'm really sensitive about that kind of thing right now." The women all shared a look of confusion before looking to Haley for answers.

"I'm sorry?" Patty asked, not understanding what Haley was talking about. She looked at the girl and decided she couldn't be any older than seventeen. There was no way that she could be pregnant. "I'm afraid we don't understand what you mean."

"Oh, that's guess Haley's preggers," Brooke blurted out before Haley had a chance to answer the question for herself. Haley leered at her, understanding that these women weren't the best crowd when it came to teen pregnancy.

"Brooke!"

"You're pregnant?"

"Yes, I am," Haley answered, looking at them uneasily. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was telling her mother about it and she felt very uncomfortable under all their disapproving gazes. Linda and Kelly both shifted in their positions, more than a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"But you can't be a day over seventeen," Patty pointed out. Brooke rolled her eyes at the women. Did she live in the eighteenth century or something? Teenagers have babies everyday in this day and age.

"I'm turning seventeen in two months, actually," Haley informed them, not meeting their eyes. She assumed this was her punishment for not having to tell her parents. There was nothing she hated more than being looked down on or being seen as a disappointment in anyone's eyes.

"Who's the father?"

"He's not in the picture," Haley told them, her voice taking a bit of a defensive tone. She was starting to realize that she didn't even know these women and she didn't owe them any kind of explanation. "He lives in another state even."

"You're not married?" Haley looked down at the ground of a second and let the hurt wash over her. She thought about that fact everyday, about how Nathan didn't want her. He didn't even see fit to see her again, let alone want to marry her. She didn't need strangers pointing out to her. Brooke saw the hurt look on Haley's face and jumped in.

"She sure as hell is," Brooke exclaimed, reaching over to take Haley's hand in her's. Haley's head snapped up and she looked at Brooke with wide eyes, trying to figure out what the hell she was thinking. "She's married to me!"

"What?" all four of them exclaimed in shock. Brooke had to try her hardest to keep from bursting out laughing at the look of horror on all their faces. If they had a problem with teen pregnancy, they must be dying about lesbian marriage.

"Yeah, yeah," Brooke nodded, hiding her smile. "We're happily married, aren't we baby?" She looked adoringly at Haley, motioning for her to go along with it for some laughs. Haley eyed Brooke of a second before nodding. This could be fun.

"Yeppers," Haley nodded, holding up the hand that had a ring on it. It was the ring that Karen had given her for her sixteenth birthday, but it looked almost like an engagement ring. "Couldn't be happier." They all looked at them with wild discomfort, which only made Brooke and Haley continue.

"We have sex every night," Brooke informed them with a proud smile. As if there was a fire somewhere near, they all got up at the same time and quickly excused themselves, throwing out some lame excuse about getting more food. As soon as they were out of sight, Brooke and Haley burst out laughing.

"Every night?" Haley asked between giggles. Brooke's laughs started to subside and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I aim to please, baby," Brooke told her, trying to be serious. Haley shook her head and laughed. They soon calmed down. "We'll have to remember that the next time we want to get out of talking to someone."

"Worked like a charm," Haley agreed. She glanced over and saw they the smile on Brooke's face as she watched Patty talking to some other women and pointing over to where they were sitting. "I told you it wouldn't be so bad."

"I'm just glad to see you smile again, Hales," Brooke answered in all seriousness. Haley looked at her for a moment, trying to decide what to make of the statement. Finally, she just settled on a bright smile and went back to her drink.

**--OTH--**

All right, so I know that nothing exciting happened in that chapter, but I promise that there is more stuff to come soon, I just had to ease back into stuff. After Haley taking quite a beating last chapter, I wanted to lighten the mood. Anyway, please tell me what you think. Peace.


	30. I'm Not Sure

_Author's Note:_ Hello! Remember me? Yeah, sorry that it's been so long, but school is really kicking my ass and my time has been kind of spent on my other fics, but I'm here for an update. I finished one of my other ones, so hopefully that will give me more time to spend on this one. I can't promise anything though, since I'm hoping to start the sequel to that one before the break is over. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you're reading my other long lost story, In An Instant, I'm hoping to get an update to that one in the next couple of days too. Enjoy.

**--OTH--**

"Remind me again how I go roped into this?" Haley asked Brooke, as the two were getting ready for a night out on the town in her room. They had finally made it home from their horrible lunch at the manger's house, only to get ready to go out for dinner. It turns out that Jack does have a hot son and of course, Brooke had managed to snag a date with him. The catch being that it was going to be a double date.

"Because Devon's friend from Toronto is down visiting him and he didn't want to bail out on him," Brooke answered, holding up the new skirt she has just bought to see if it matched her top. Making a face at her reflection, she quickly tossed it to Haley to see if she could wear it. "He happened to mention that he say us sitting together and…"

"And Haley's night gets ruined," Haley finished for her. She caught the skirt and held it up in front of her. She didn't even have to check; she knew it wouldn't fit her. She wasn't that big, people still hadn't seemed to notice, but she knew there was a little belly starting to grow there.

"Hey," Brooke chastised when she saw Haley throwing the skirt away. "That is a damn cute skirt. And your cute ass would look damn hot in it." Haley rolled her eyes and lifted up her shirt to show Brooke her knew belly. Brooke gasped, not having seen it before. "It's little Brookie!"

"Yes," Haley sighed, knowing that Brooke was going to be fusing over her for the next ten minutes at least. She wasn't sure why, but Brooke was very protective of her when it came to the baby. It was almost as if she was the mother, or father, in this case. Haley shook her head, swatted Brooke's hand away from rubbing her stomach. "Enough with little Brookie for now. She's not that one that is being forced to go out on a date with some loser."

"Joel is not a loser," Brooke protested, dropping a quick kiss on Haley's belly before standing up straight and picking her next pair of jeans. "Devon was telling me all about him…"

"You talked to the guy for all of five minutes, Tigger," Haley pointed out in an unbelieving tone. She remembered watching the couple from her seat and was surprised when Brooke came back saying they had a date. She could tell that Brooke was flirting at fill force, but he didn't seem to be reciprocating. "How could you have found out anything about this guy?"

"I don't know," Brooke shrugged. She smiled now that she found the perfect pair of jeans and quickly slipped them on. "He was telling me that he was his partner or something. I guess they have a business together."

"Oh, yeah," Haley laughed. "You really know all about him."

"Fine," Brooke gave up. "All I know is that the guy's name is Joel, he's Canadian and he's Devon's partner."

"Is he a rapist or a killer?" Haley questioned. Brooke let out a dramatic sigh at Haley's questions. Here they go again. "Has he ever been in jail? Does he do drugs?"

"You really have to live a little, Tutor Girl." Brooke slapped Haley playfully on the shoulder. "Is one night of fun with your best friend really going to kill you?"

"It might," Haley tried. She looked at Brooke's pouty face and felt all her resolve crumble inside her. She would never be able to say no to that face and she knew Brooke knew that too. "Fine, okay."

"Yay!" Brooke clapped her hands together excitedly as she jumped up and down. "Love you, Hales." Brooke gave Haley a quick kiss on the check before bouncing into the bathroom to do her makeup.

"Yeah, yeah," Haley mumbled. She looked at herself skeptically in the mirror. She had on one of Brooke's looser fitting pick tops, and a pair of jeans she had borrowed from Kate when she started showing. Kate was a taller therefore; he jeans were bigger, which was exactly what Haley needed. She was dreading having to go maturity shopping, but she knew it was going to come eventually.

"What was that?" Brooke called from the bathroom. She knew Haley wasn't looking forward to their double date, but she was glad she was willing to come anyway. Haley wasn't much of a socialite nowadays and Brooke wasn't sure why. At first she just chalked it up to her being pregnant, but she was starting to think there was another reason.

"Nothing," Haley said, louder this time. She did one more once over to make sure her outfit was suitable for a date and that Joel wouldn't be able to tell she was pregnant. Once she was satisfied, she headed out to the living room. She had already done her makeup so she just had to wait for Brooke to finish up. "You ready, yet?"

"In a minute." About five minutes later Brooke came strolling out, done up absolutely perfectly and it made Haley a little bit sad. She wished she were that beautiful. She quickly brushed it off, accepting that she would never look like that and plopped down on the couch.

"Are we meeting them at the restaurant or are they picking us up?"

"We're supposed to call when we're ready and they'll pick us up," Brooke answered, moving over to sit beside her best friend on the couch. "So, I'd say we're ready, right?" Haley nodded. "Okay, I'll call Devon's cell." Brooke reached forward and grabbed her cell off the coffee table. Haley watched as Brooke pressed in the numbers and held the device to her ear.

"So, what are was doing again tonight?" It wasn't until just now that Haley realized Brooke hadn't really told her the plan for tonight. All she knew was that they were meeting some random guys and going on a double date. For all she knew, they were going to Spain. Though, she doubted that.

"I'm not sure," Brooke answered, one ear on Haley, the other listening to the ringing on the phone. "I think he said we were going to this club or something. I'd never heard of it, so it should be cool."

"We're not going out for…"

"Hey, Devon!" Brooke cheered loudly, letting Haley know she had to shut up while she was on the phone. Haley rolled her eyes. "Yeah, me and Hales are all ready…Okay, when will you guys be here… Lovebirds? Huh… All right, whatever you say. See you soon." Haley saw the confused look on Brooke's face as she hung up the phone.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Brooke shook her head and shrugged. "He just said something weird, nothing to worry about." She sent Haley assuring smile and nodded.

"You sure?" Brooke nodded again and Haley could tell that Brooke was still thinking about it. She thought about pushing it, but if it were important enough, she was sure that Brooke would have told her. "How long till they come?"

"He said they weren't quite ready yet," Brooke answered playing with the antenna on her phone, something she only did when she was nervous. Haley noticed this, but still didn't say anything. "So, he said like ten minutes, half an hour."

"Perfect amount of time for you to call Pey," Haley answered. She had been bugging Brooke since they got back from lunch to call their friend, but Brooke kept putting it off.

"Yeah, okay," Brooke answered. She quickly flipped open her phone, found Peyton's number in her phonebook and pressed call. It rang a couple times before the blonde picked up. "Peyton!"

"I'm just gonna…" Haley whispered, pointing to her room. Brooke nodded, waving at her to shush before Peyton heard her. Haley rolled her eyes again, something she was starting to notice that she did a lot lately, and tried to get up. On her first try, she fell right back down on her ass.

"Whoa," Brooke called out without thinking. After telling Peyton it was just something she was watching on the television, she covered up the phone. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Haley mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed that she couldn't even stand up sometimes anymore without looking like an idiot. "Could I just get a little help here?"

"Of course." Brooke told Peyton to hold on a second and helped Haley stand up. "You need help into the bedroom?" Brooke teased, once Haley was upright. She knew that Haley hated having to get help with most of things she did, but Brooke didn't mind helping, so she liked to tease her about it.

"Funny," she grumbled. She pushed Brooke back down on the couch as she walked by her, which sent Brooke into fits of giggles, and locked herself in the bedroom to make her own phone call.

**--OTH--**

"Hales, they're here!" Brooke called towards the bedroom. When Haley didn't answer, Brooke let out a sigh and sent a smile to Devon and Joel an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I haven't gotten her trained quite yet."

"That's okay," Devon assured her. "It took me a while to get him to listen to me as well. No worries, she'll get the hang of it." Brooke raised an eyebrow at him, not having the slightest clue as to what he was talking about.

"Okay," she answered, her voice full of her confusion. "I'm just gonna go see what she's up to. I'll be right back." The boys nodded and she quickly moved to the bedroom. Once she was inside, she immediately shut the door and leaned up against, happy to be out of their suggestive sightline.

It took her a few moments before she realized that Haley was sleeping. She spotted Haley passed out on her bed and couldn't help but smile. She thought about it for a second, before she pushed herself off the door and dove onto Haley's bed beside her. As soon as she hit the mattress, Haley bolted up into a sitting position.

"I'm up, I'm up," she called, coming to, and not knowing what was going on. It took her a few moments to realize where she was and her shoulders slumped, her mind no longer at alert. She heard giggling from her side and sent Brooke a glare.

"Hey, you," Brooke greeted with an innocent smile. Haley made a grumpy face and flopped onto to her back, closing her eyes. "They're here and they're acting weird."

"Weird?" Haley tilted her head to the side to look art Brooke. The other girl nodded. "As in I'm high weird? Or I'm gonna rape you weird?"

"Neither really," Brooke answered. She shrugged, deciding that she was just thinking about it too much. They were just trying to be polite. "Forget it, I'm looking into it too much." She pushed herself off the bed, fixed her clothes and held her hand out to Haley.

"If you say so." Haley took the hand and got off the bed. They did one last quick check to make sure they looked okay before joining the guys at the front door. "Hey, guys. You must be Joel."

"That's my name."

"Well, why don't we get going?" The girls nodded, grabbed their purses, linked arms and followed the guys out. The group chatted in the elevator about what they were going to do tonight, before they made it to the lobby. Devon led the girls outside to his car.

"Nice car," Brooke teased, eyeing the old car that they were nearing. She was confused, she thought that if they had a business together he's be able to afford a better car. Oh well, maybe they were just starting out.

"Thanks." Devon opened the driver's door and got in. Brooke moved to get into the passenger side, but Joel beat her to it. She watched him get in with a confused expression before she followed Haley into the back seat. Once they were on the road, and the boys were engrossed in a conversation, Brooke leaned into Haley to whisper in her ear.

"Do you sense something strange here?" Haley nodded and their eyes traveled to the front seat. There was definitely something strange here.

**--OTH--**

That's all. I hope you guys aren't mad that this chapter was kind of lame, but I need to get this month of the story over with because I know just what I want for the next months.

**Important Question:** I've gotten a lot of reviews suggesting that I should maybe get Brooke and Haley together. I've thought about it, and it would make sense, so I was just wondering if anyone would have a problem with that. If I did make them a couple, it wouldn't be the main part of the story, maybe just at the end it would show them as a couple, but if you guys would be offended by that, then I won't.

Anyway, please tell me what you guys thought of the chapter. Thanks.


	31. It's Just Harmless Fun

_Author's Note:_ Well, asking you guys about the Baley thing didn't really help that much, since all the opinions are better much divided. I think I'm going to go with what someone suggested, about making alternate endings. Actually, I think I'm going to finish writing this one without making them a couple, and then repost a different version were they actually get together earlier on and I'll make changes to the chapters to accommodate the relationship change. That way, everyone will be happy. FYI: For those of you that were hoping for a Naley reunion, keep dreaming, it won't be happening here. As for Brucas, I'll think about it. I doubt it, but you never know.

Anyway, sorry it took so long for me to update, but I've been really busy. I hope you like this chapter, because I can't remember what I wanted to do with it. Hopefully I will remember. Enjoy.

**-OTH-**

"Where are we going again?" Haley asked, whispering to Brooke, who was staring up at the two guys in the front seat. They were completely engrossed in each other and hadn't said a word to them since they got into the car. Which was something Brooke found to be an incredibly rude thing to do to your date.

"Some club," she answered, distractedly. Haley say that Brooke wasn't paying much attention to her and rolled her eyes. She leaned back in her seat away from Brooke and watched the pair in the front seat as well.

"Don't be silly," Joel argued, laughing at something that Devon had said. He playfully slapped him and shook her head. "Are you kidding? Ryan and Marissa are totally meant for each other." Haley raised an eyebrow and glanced at Brooke, who still looked confused.

"Are you blind?" Haley asked her. She couldn't believe that Brooke still had no idea what was going on. Clearly, they were gay. Brooke quickly looked at her in surprised, no understanding what she meant by the question.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Haley looked at her incredulously. She would have thought that someone as experienced as Brooke would be able to pick out two obviously gay people. Even she, who had never meet or even seen gay people, knew they were a couple.

"You're kidding me, right?" Haley laughed. Brooke continued to stare blankly at her. Haley let out another laugh and shook her head. "Nothing. Never mind." Brooke looked at her strangely for a moment. Something was definitely going on with her.

"I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones or what," she began, quickly glancing to the front to make sure that the guys didn't hear her. "But you are definitely getting weirder. If that's possible." Without waiting for Haley to reply, she turned back to watching the lover's quarrel that she didn't know about.

"You have no idea," Haley mumbled under her breath, making sure that Brooke didn't hear her. This was just what she needed. Not only did she get out of the apartment, she got to spend a night with Brooke, maybe make two new friends but she didn't have to worry about an awkward goodnight kiss at the end.

"Hey, guys," Brooke finally spoke up. Brooke Davis was never one to be ignored, especially on a date. The boys ended their conversation and Joel turned around to look at her while Devon kept his eyes on the road. "What's the name of this club again?"

"The Backyard," he answered without having to give it any thought. He noticed the look on Brooke's face and decided that she had never been there. "You ever been?"

"Nope." She glanced at Haley to ask her the question. Haley looked at her like she was stupid. Of course she hadn't been there. She was pregnant. "Oh, yeah. Duh."

"I'm surprised you've never been," Joel replied, not noting the interaction between the two girls. Haley had to contain her laughter. Was she the only one that had half a brain in the car? Brooke couldn't tell that the guys were gay and they couldn't tell that she was pregnant. She was like a freaking whale. In her eyes at least. "It seems like your kind of thing. I mean, you guys aren't modest about it or anything, I hope cause you guys are so obvious."

"What are talking about?" Brooke finally asked. Haley bit her bottom lip, closing her eyes to keep her laughs in. This was going to be so much fun. Before Brooke could get an answer from either of them, they felt the car come to a halt outside a club.

"We're here," Devon announced, pulling into the only empty spot in the entire parking lot. "Come on, girls. Get ready for the time of your life." Joel laughed with him and they all got out of the car. As they started walking towards the club, Haley noticed that Brooke was about to make her way over to Devon to take his hand. She quickly linked arms with Brooke and pulled her away from the guys.

"Hales, what the hell?" Haley quickly racked her brain, trying to think of reason to keep her best friend away from the guy that was so obviously not interested. The night would nearly be as much fun if Brooke already knew Devon and Joel were together. Haley sent the boys a quick smile before answering Brooke.

"I just, don't want to be left out," she answered lamely. Yeah, that was a good cover. Idiot.

"Then go walk with Joel," Brooke told her, upset that Haley was being a cock block. Well, not in so many words. There was definitely something up with Haley tonight. She knew that her best friend didn't want to go on the date, but normally she would just go with things that she didn't want to do.

"Yeah, but I…" She looked around and smiled when she realized that they were about to enter the club. "Come on, I have to go pee." Brooke sighed as Haley pulled on her arm, pulling her towards where the washroom sign was pointing.

"I think Little Brookie thinks your bladder is a squeeze toy." She waved at Devon, nodding her head towards Haley, indicating that they were just going to the washroom.

"We're just gonna grab a table," Devon called to her, trying his best to yell over the loud music. He pointed towards the table they usually sit at. Brooke didn't have a chance to say anything before she was completely engrossed in the crowd. She closed her eyes; the blaring music giving her a headache already and just followed Haley to wherever they were going. Oh right, the washroom.

"Haley," Brooke started, once they were in the washroom. Haley didn't even bother to acknowledge her friend, as she made her way straight into the stall. Brooke sighed and leaned against the stall door, so the other girls in the washroom didn't have to hear their conversation. "What is your problem?"

"Me?" Haley asked, her voice muffled a bit by the movements she was making and the thick door separating them. "Other than the fact that Little Brookie is forcing me to pee every two minutes, I don't have a problem."

"Then how come you won't let me within a foot of Devon?" Brooke moved away from the door when she heard the toilet flushing, signaling that her best friend was going to be exiting any moment now.

"That is not true," Haley argued, opening the door and moving over to the sink, making sure not to make eye contact with Brooke. The other brunette followed her. "I just had to go to the washroom. What is so suspicious about that? Geez, pregnant women need to pee too, you know?"

"But since when do you need a partner?" Brooke questioned, eyeing the other women in the room. They were all fixing each other's hair and playing with their clothes. Brooke looked at them strangely for a moment, sensing something different was going on, but brushed it off. The look didn't go unnoticed by Haley, who had to hide a smile. She still couldn't believe that Brooke hadn't figured it out. "You always make fun of me when I make Courtney come with me."

"I've never been here before," Haley rationalized, grabbing a handful of paper towel and drying her hands. She could see a few of the girl checking her and Brooke out, but she didn't blame them. They were certainly the best looking ones there. "And New York is a very dangerous place you know? A cute young woman like myself can't be too careful."

"Cute, my ass," Brooke mumbled, holding in the laugh that threatened to escape at the winning smile Haley was throwing her. Brooke sighed; she was cute.

"Yes," Haley agreed, tossing the towel in the garbage. She walked passed Brooke, slapping her butt on the way. "Your ass is very cute." Brooke's mouth hung open as she watched her friend push the door open. "Come on, Tigger, our dates await." Without waiting for Brooke to move, Haley disappeared through the door and began her adventure towards the table she spotted Devon and Joel at.

"Hey, Haley," Joel greeted her with a smile. He pointed to the seat across from him and she immediately sat down. She bopped her head along to the music, not noticing the shared smiles she was receiving from the guys. Finally she caught them.

"What?"

"You look pretty happy," Devon pointed out, nodding his head towards her face, indicating the huge smile she was still wearing from leaving Brooke speechless. She smiled again and shrugged. "You and Brooke have a little quickie in the washroom?" The smile on Haley's face quickly disappeared and she stopped bouncing. She stared blankly at them.

"Huh?"

"Well, I'm sure newlyweds like yourselves can't keep your hands off each other," Joel explained, winking suggestively at her. This time, it was Haley's turn to be speechless. "I mean, you guys were practically all over each other in the car and in the parking lot. Even when we got to your apartment, you guys had to have a little moment in the bedroom."

"Uh…" Haley continued to stare at them in completely shock and utter confusion. They thought her and Brooke were together? More than that, they thought they were married? Where in the hell would they ever get that id… Brooke. She should have known that lie at the party was going to come back and bit her in the ass. Before she could respond to them, Brooke finally decided to join them.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them, slipping into the seat between Devon and Haley. She didn't seem to notice the look on Haley's face as she sipped on the drink Devon had ordered her. "What are you guys talking about?"

"We were just teasing Haley about the quickie you guys just had in the washroom." Brooke immediately spit her drink out at the comment and it went all over Joel.

"WHAT?" Devon and Joel looked at each other, not understanding Brooke's reaction. Joel grabbed a napkin and started cleaning himself off. "You think we just did what in the washroom?"

"Relax," Devon instructed her, smiling genuinely at her, thinking she was just too embarrassed to admit it. "It's perfectly natural for a newly married couple to want to be all over each other. Believe me, we would know."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Brooke ranted, trying to process everything that was happening. She glanced at Haley, who was just starting to come out of her shock. "Me and Hales aren't mar…"

"Brooke, let's dance!" Haley quickly exclaimed, reached over to her friend and grabbing her hand. She started pulling Brooke towards the dance floor.

"But it's a slow song," Brooke protested halfheartedly, still to surprised at what her supposed date was talking about. She glanced back at the table, where Devon and Joel were watching them with matching adoring smiles. Once they reached the dance floor, Haley placed her hands on Brooke's hips and Brooke wrapped her arms loosely around Haley neck. "What the hell is going on?"

"I can't believe you still haven't figured it out yet," Haley laughed, shaking her head at Brooke. This whole thing was just far too amusing for her. She thought that tonight was going to be boring, when it turns out to be the most entertaining since they had arrived in New York.

"Figured what out?" Brooke asked. "Hales, what is going on here?" As they continued to sway to the music, Brooke began to notice that they weren't so out of place, that all the other couples on the dance floor were same sex couples as well. Finally realizing where they were, Brooke quickly pulled Haley closer to whisper in her ear. "Did you know that we're in a gay club?"

"Oh my God," Haley exclaimed, her laughter being heard over the music. The couple dancing beside them looked at her strangely before dancing away. Brooke didn't understand why Haley was laughing.

"This is a gay club," Brooke stated again. "Why would Devon and Joel take us to a gay club?" That just made Haley laugh even harder. Finally, after a few moments she calmed down.

"New flash, Brooke," Haley began. "Devon and Joel are gay." Brooke's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "And they think we're gay, too."

"Where would they get an idea like that?"

"You mean besides when you practically broadcasted the fact that we were married to the entire party yesterday." It took Brooke a moment to register what she was talking about. When it dawned on her and she grimaced.

"Oh," she said. "Oops." Haley laughed and rolled her eyes, telling Brooke not to worry about it. Brooke glanced over at the table once more and was surprised to see that they were still watching them as they continued to dance. "So what do we do?"

"Ah, we explain to them that this whole thing was just a big misunderstanding," Haley suggested as if it were the only obvious thing to do. Brooke thought about for a moment until a devilish smile came to her face. Haley recognized it immediately. "Oh, no, Brooke. No, we are not playing along with this."

"Aw, come on Hales," Brooke whined, sticking out her lip so she was displaying a pout that would make a five year old jealous. Haley continued to shake her head. Every other time Brooke would pout like that, Haley would give it, but not this time. Haley was going to stand her ground for once.

"No, Brooke."

"But we would be so hot together," she protested. She saw the doubtful look on Haley face and she knew that she wasn't buying any of it. There were times that Haley's stubbornness and level headedness came in handy, but right now it was just being a pain. All Brooke wanted to do was have a little harmless fun. They weren't going to hurt anyone.

"No."

"It's just harmless fun," Brooke continued as if she didn't hear Haley's answer. "Besides, what else are we going to do tonight? Go home and watch a repeat of Friends for the millionth time? We need to have some fun…"

"Excuse me?" came a voice from behind them, interrupting Brooke. Brooke pulled away from Haley and turned around to become face to face with a rather large woman. She had short hair and huge arms, and what Brooke could only assumed was a mustache that hadn't been shaved in a long time.

"Ye … yes?" Brooke asked, stuttering over her words. She had never seen someone so scary looking. She was even worse than Bertha, which was a very difficult thing to achieve.

"I was wondering if your little girl friend won't mind letting you dance with me?" the woman asked, flashing her a smile, thought she was missing a few teeth. Brooke's eyes widened and she looked at Haley for an escape. Haley smiled at Brooke in amusement. She wanted to play.

"I don't mind at all," Haley answered, kissing Brooke's hair and pushing her forward into the woman. Brooke gulped, looking up at the huge woman in front of her. Maybe having a little fun was too much to ask.

"I change my mind," Brooke quickly said, turning towards Haley and grabbing her hand. "I don't want to play along. I look forward to spending the evening with the gang at Central Perk. Just please, can we go?"

"But I thought that you wanted…"

"Haley!" Brooke pleaded. Haley laughed and looked at the woman who was watching them in confusion.

"Sorry, ma'am," Haley spoke to her, not as afraid of her as Brooke is. "But this little sex kitten is coming home with me right now. Maybe some other time." She nodded at the understanding woman and pulled Brooke along. "Come on, sweetie pie." Brooke didn't argue, as she hurried followed Haley off the dance floor and away from her admirer.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," Brooke repeated over and over again on their way back to the table. "You have my eternal gratitude forever. I'll love you until the end of time. I will worship the ground that you walk on…"

"And you'll do the dishes for the rest of the week," Haley added in, enjoying the praises she was getting. Brooke quickly agreed, not having a problem with it, considering it was her week to do the dishes anyway. Once they reached the table, the guys were wondering what happened.

"What was that about?"

"Listen," Brooke started, getting the glare from Haley to explain everything to them since it was her fault in the first place. "It was really nice of you guys to take us out tonight, but I think we all got a little confused as to what is going on here. You see, I thought that you asked us out on a double date."

"Oh, but we're…"

"Gay? Yeah, I got that," Brooke stopped him. "The thing is, we're not." They both looked surprised. "I just told those nosey bitches that because they were making my Haley feel bad. And no one makes my Haley feel bad. So, in short, we're not married, we're not even dating, we're just best friends, trying to make it in New York and getting ready for a baby to come. Are we clear?"

"Ah, yeah," Devon and Joel answered at the same time. "Sorry for the misunderstanding." Brooke and Haley both shook their heads, telling them it was okay and thanked them for the night out. They said their goodbyes and the girls made their way outside to get a cab.

"So," Brooke began, as they walked with linked arms through the parking lot and towards the road. "Sorry about tonight. I know I promised you a fun time and everything and it kinda turned out to be a dud." Haley tugged on Brooke's arm and shook her head.

"Are you kidding?" Haley asked. "What could be more fun then going to a gay club, getting set up on a date with a gay guy, being called a lesbian and watching you get hit on by an unnaturally large man/woman?" They both shared a laugh.

"So you had fun?" Brooke asked. That was really what this whole night was about. As hot as she thought Devon was and as much as she wanted to start dating again, she had set this whole thing up so Haley could have some fun. She hated seeing her sit around the apartment every night doing nothing but watch television.

"A tone," Haley assured her. "I was fun to get out for a change, a nice change in scenery. I think it was good for me." Brooke nodded; glad to see that her best friend enjoyed their little evening, even if things hadn't gone the way she planned. "Thanks, Brookie."

"Any time."

**-OTH-**

That's all. I thought I'd give some of you Baley fans a little to tide you over. I know that there were a lot of your that wanted them to get together, but you'll just have to wait until I can get the other version out. For now, you'll just have to settle for some friendshippy moments, I guess. Anyway, please tell me what you thought.

Next chapter will actually be in Tree Hill for a change, so stay tuned for that. Peace.


	32. How Did You Find Us?

_Author's Note:_ Hey all. Remember this story! I almost forgot about it. Anyway, I'm back, and plan on updating it more regularly, I hope. Okay, so in this chapter, Brooke mentions **Taylor. **No, you're not going insane, Tay hasn't been part of this story, but my friend, who had been using Kate as well, replaced her with Taylor, and I think that's a good idea, so I'm gonna do that too. So, after I post this, I'm gonna go back and replace all the Kate's with Taylor. I hope you guys don't mind. Anyway, enjoy this chapter.

**--OTH--**

"Oh, Tigger!" Haley called out from her bedroom, hoping that her best friend would hear her all the way in the kitchen where she was currently making her a pickle and cheese sandwich.

"Yes, Miss Haley?" Brooke called back with a tired sigh. She loved Haley, she really and truly did, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could take being a slave. She was really starting to regret offering to wait on Haley hand and foot. At the time, she didn't think that Haley would take such huge advantage of the offer. "What can I get you now?"

"Your cute little self," Haley answered in a sweet voice. She wasn't a stupid girl, and she certainly wasn't blind, she knew that she was driving Brooke crazy lately, and she really did feel bad for asking so much of the poor girl. "I'm lonely."

"I'm almost done," Brooke assured her with a smile, the slight annoyance not in her voice any longer. It seemed to happen all the time lately, just when she was starting to get annoyed with the pregnant girl, Haley would say something incredibly sweet and Brooke would remember why she had been so willing to help in the first place. "Just let me finish with this disgusting excuse for a sandwich."

"Hey!" Haley exclaimed lightheartedly. She was more than used to the constant teasing she received from Brooke about her strange cravings, so she just tried her best to take it all in stride. It wasn't her fault.

"I'm kidding, take a pill," Brooke suggested with a laugh. A smile creeped onto her face and she tightened the lid on the pickle bottle. "Though, I'm thinking it might be a little late for that." She could practically hear Haley's jaw drop to the floor at her comment. She shook her head and placed the nasty meal on a plate, grabbing a bottle of water as she made her way to Haley's bedroom.

Just like she had expected, she entered to find Haley lounging on her bed, her mouth and eyes wide open. Brooke shrugged and sent her an innocent smile as she walked over to plop down on the bed beside her best friend, placing the plate on her overgrown stomach.

"Well," Haley began, finally finding her voice. "I'm so glad that I've gotten to a place emotionally where we can joke about that."

"I know, right?" Haley sent her a glare and a scowl, before she eyed the plate on her stomach. Finally, she let her shoulders slump and she let out a sigh.

"You're just lucky you're good for something," she told her, puncturing her sentence with a bite of her sandwich. Brooke scrunched up her nose at the smell that floated through the room as she took a bite and moved her head further away.

"When are you going to go back to craving ice cream?" It had been such a simpler time back then. Ice cream was good, it was normal, Brooke could handle and stomach ice cream. She wasn't sure how many more pickle and cheese sandwiches she would be able to make without vomiting.

"Sometime soon, I'm sure," Haley told her with a mouth full. She tried to give Brooke an innocent smile in apology when she saw the disgusted look on Brooke's face at the action. "Sawwe."

"That's disgusting," Brooke stated, not hiding her hate for it. Haley just laughed and shook her head, not caring what Brooke had to say about what she was eating. Obviously it was disgusting, even Haley knew that, but she was craving it, so that was what she was going to have, whether Brooke liked it or not.

"You love me anyway," Haley shot back, too pre occupied with cleaning the pickle juice off of her shirt. Brooke looked at her best friend as she tried to suck the juice off of her shirt; her hair wasn't brushed, her legs hadn't been shaved, she wasn't wearing any makeup and she was having mood swings like a crazy woman. Brooke smiled at her.

"Yeah," she nodded, the warm smile reaching all the way up to her eyes. "I do." Before Haley had a chance to say anything, there was a knock at the door. She glanced over at Brooke, looking at her expectantly, nodding towards the living room.

"Obviously I can't get it," she snapped. Brooke rolled her eyes and nodded. She placed a quick kiss on Haley's temple, letting her know that she loved her even though she was crazy, and moved to get the door.

"Crazy bitch," she mumbled as she shuffled her feet through the living room. After a moment, she heard the knock again. "One minute!" She quickened her pace and reached the door, quickly swinging it open. Her eyes widened in shock at the people standing on the other side.

"Hey, Brooke."

"Oh my God," she gasped, not believing her eyes. Yes, she knew that she and Haley couldn't run forever, it would never work, and one day they would have to face their past, but she didn't think that it would be this soon. They hadn't even gotten to their future yet and their past was already biting them in the ass. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We thought we'd drop by and give you guys a little visit," Lucas answered with a smirk, glad that they had surprised his ex-girlfriend. He knew that they would, but he was glad that her reaction did not disappoint. He had been looking forward to it the whole ride up. "You gonna invite us in or what?"

"Oh yeah," Brooke stumbled, holding the door open more and moving to the side to let her visitors in. "Come on in."

"Sorry to just drop by like this," Karen apologized as she moved further into the small apartment and looked around. It wasn't anything special, kind of small actually, but she had expected that. Brooke and Haley didn't exactly have the biggest bank accounts.

"I'm not," Lucas grinned. Things had gotten better between since she had been gone. When she was still staying in Tree Hill, they had tried to be friends, but things were just too hard, there was way too much drama there. Now that she was in New York though, they talked a lot on the phone and they had gotten to a good place now. He could goof around with her like he could with Haley.

"Ignore him," Karen instructed, taking off her coat and handing it to Lucas to find a place for it. He rolled his eyes and tossed it on the couch before leaning on the arm to watch his mom and Brooke chat. "He's been a pain in the ass the whole way up."

"He's always a pain in the ass," Brooke responded, sending Lucas a sweet smile when he placed an overdramatic hand over his heart as if her words had actually wounded him. It was Brooke's turn to roll her eyes, something she found she did a lot when she was talking to Lucas.

"Children," Karen quickly intervened, seeing that Lucas had a reply on the tip of his tongue. "We've been here less than a minute and you're already fighting? Let's try to keep it to a minimum, please."

"Sorry," they both mumbled at the same time, glaring at each other when they realized they did. Taking a deep breath, Brooke decided it was time to ignore Lucas.

"How did you guys find us?" Even though Lucas knew they lived in New York and he knew that they lived together, they had never given him an address, and it was because of this exact reason.

"Mom's dating this new guy, Andy," Lucas immediately started to tell her, knowing that it made his mom uncomfortable. "He's a millionaire and we got him to hire a Private Investigator and here we are."

"You guys went to all that trouble?" Brooke asked, finding it hard to believe that someone would hire a PI just to find them. It wasn't like they had left the country or anything. If Lucas and Karen really wanted to find them, it wouldn't have been that hard; they knew what city they were in and everything. "Couldn't you have just called information or something? Or given the phone number to the police?"

"That's what I said," Karen nodded with a smile. "But Andy insisted."

"He could tell that mom was upset about something," Lucas informed Brooke, but in a more serious tone. "He asked me what was wrong and I said it was probably just Haley being gone and everything, and after I explained that Haley wasn't her illegitimate love child, he offered to do anything he could to help find her."

"He's a very sweet man," Karen conceded with a shy smile. She was still embarrassed to talk about him since it had been so long since the last time she had a boyfriend. Not to mention she was nervous about how people would react to their obvious age difference.

"Sounds like it," Brooke agreed, a giddy smile on her lips. Since neither she nor Haley had really gone out on any dates since the Lesbian Fiasco a couple of months ago, it was good to have girl talk. "I think he's a keeper, Karen. Is he cute? Do you have any pictures?"

"There will be no girl talk," Lucas announced, holding his hands in the air and bringing the conversation to a halt before it could start. Brooke turned away from the older woman to look at Lucas with a raised eyebrow. "I hear enough that crap when my mom and Peyton gush about how cute he is or how sexy his accent is."

"Oh, he has an accent?" Brooke repeated, a glint in her eyes. "Foreigners are the sexiest. Where's he from?"

"New Zealand," Karen told her with a dreamy smile. Lucas made a face, all too familiar with the look his mother was currently sporting. He let out a puff of arm and fell back onto the couch, staring up at the ceiling, preparing himself for more gushing. "And I do happen to have a picture."

"Aw, you keep a picture of him in your wallet?" Brooke asked as Karen began to fish around in her purse. "That's so romantic.

"No, actually," she answered, smiling when she found it. "Lucas knew you would ask, so he told me to bring one."

"You know me too well, Lucas Scott," Brooke giggled, ignoring Luke's groan from the couch. She moved in closer and peered at the picture of Andy and let out a huge squeal, causing Lucas to cover his ears. "Oh my God, Karen! He's a total hottie."

"Isn't he, though?" Karen agreed, a huge smile plastered on her face at the thought of her boyfriend. After Haley had left, and the given the why she did and why, Karen had been really down. Lucas had tried his best to lift her spirits, but it wasn't until she met Andy that she started to get over the lose of her surrogate daughter. She still missed Haley deeply though, and lived for the phone calls and e-mails she received from her.

"Tigger, what the hell?" Haley scolded her and she wattled to her bedroom door to see what all the squealing was about. She had figure that it was someone they knew at the door when Brooke didn't come right back to sit with her, but she had given up trying to hear who it was. "Why are you shrieking like a howler monkey?"

"Damn, Hales," Lucas laughed from the couch at the sight of her. "You're a freaking cow!" Brooke flinched at his words, knowing what was going to come next. Haley did not appreciate being called fat at all, and she was sure to maim Lucas severely for his comment.

"Lucas!" Haley screamed in excitement, not noticing the older woman behind Brooke trying to hold back sobs at the sight of her. Seeing that she wasn't going to be able to come over to him, Lucas rolled off the couch and went over to Haley, enveloping her in a huge hug. He wasn't able to lift her off the ground like he would normally do on account that she was a cow, but he held her as tight as he could without making her pop.

"It's so good to see you, Hales," he whispered into her hair, ignoring the huge bump that was keeping them apart. He brought his hand up to rest on top of her head, and kissed her hair. "I missed you, buddy. Tree Hill just ain't the same without you."

"I missed you too," Haley whispered back, her hormones getting the best of her as she started to cry. She laughed at her display and pulled away from him so he could see just how big she had gotten. "I'm fat, I know."

"You're glowing," he corrected her with a friendly smile. She chuckled at his kindness and rolled her eyes, letting him pull her into a sideways hug and lead her over to the door. "I think there's someone else that's just dying to see you."

"Who?" Haley asked, looking up at him. For a split second she thought it was Peyton, but she realized that Brooke probably wouldn't have been doing happy shrieking, and she was pretty sure that she would have heard Peyton cussing up a storm by now. She looked over at Brooke, who smiled softly at her, knowing how much she had missed Karen and moved to the side to relieve the older woman.

"Hi, baby," Karen greeted with a teary smile and small wave. Haley let out a squeak of sheer surprise and quickly moved out of Luke's arms and into her surrogate mothers. "Aw, Haley, you have no idea how much I've missed you."

"You too," Haley assured, her response muffled by Karen's shirt. She wrapped her arms around Karen's back and pressed herself as close to her as possible. "I missed you too."

"God, you're so big," Karen exclaimed in a light tone as she pulled away from Haley, afraid that she never would if she didn't do it now. "Look at you. I can't believe you're gonna be a mom."

"I know," Haley nodded, still trying to wrap her head around it all. Sure, she had time to except it, but there were still days when she couldn't believe how her life had turned out. Not only was she pregnant, she was living hundreds of miles away from the only family and home that she'd ever known, and with her best friend Brooke Davis. "I still forget some mornings."

"Well, I think you'll be a great mom," Lucas piped in from his spot standing behind Brooke. Haley glanced over her shoulder him to find Brooke nodding her head in agreement.

"I'll have Tigger to help me out, right?"

"Of course," Brooke answered without a second thought. "It's not like I've got guys lined up around the corner that I'm looking to date. I think it'll be just you, me and the baby, baby." Haley smirked at her, letting her know that she couldn't be more grateful for her companion.

"So, do you know yet?" Karen asked out of nowhere, causing three heads to turn at her and look at her in confusion.

"Know what?" Brooke and Haley questioned at the same time. It had been a while since they had been in Tree Hill; there could be tones of stuff she was talking about.

"The sex of my grandchild, of course," she clarified, ignoring the pain she felt at the word grandchild. She had always hoped to be at least fifty when she became a grandmother, but it was too late to do anything about it now. Truth be told, she was actually kind of excited about being able to spoil the little thing.

"Oh, um, no." Haley couldn't help the bright smile that spread across her face when she heard Karen call her baby that. She had always considered Karen her mother for as long as she could remember, and a part of her had been scared that their relationship would be strained now that she had gone and not only gotten herself pregnant but left the state as well. "But Brooke is convinced that it's a girl."

"Trust me," Brooke began with a tired sigh, getting sick of having this conversation over and over again with Haley. "I just know these things, okay? I'm telling you, that's Little Brookie in there."

"You've already named it?" Lucas asked with an amused grin when he saw the annoyed look on Haley's face at the name. Brooke glared at him. "And you let Brooke do it? I thought you were smarter than that, Hales."

"First, my baby is not an it," Haley corrected him. Brooke's eyes lit up when she saw the ever so familiar pissed off look appear on Haley's face. She was wondering when she was going to snap at someone. She was surprised at how refreshing it was to not be the one on the receiving end. "Until I have the baby, we refer to her as a her, okay."

"Or Little Brookie," the other brunette piped up, always one to add fuel to the fire. She didn't bat an eye when Haley's glare went in her direction, used to it by now.

"And second of all," Haley continued, deciding to ignore Brooke's comment and focus her attention back on her childhood best friend, who looked scared shitless. "There is no way in hell that I would ever name my daughter Little Brookie, or Brooke for that matter…"

"Hey!" Brooke protested, no longer finding Haley's assault on Lucas funny. "And what is wrong with the name Brooke?" Just as usual, Haley shifted out of bitchy mode to extra sweet mode in two seconds flat. Her features softened and she wrapped her arm loosely around Brooke's shoulders, a hard feat considering she was pregnant and a few inches shorter than the cheerleader.

"Nothing, Tigger," she promised, putting on her best pout, reserved especially for her best friend when she recovered from one of her bitch attacks. "There's only room for one Brookie in my life, and let's face it, there could only be one Brooke Davis in the world, and I wouldn't want my poor daughter to have to try to live up to someone as great as you."

Brooke eyed for a moment, her expression unreadable, trying to decide whether she should forgive her best friend or not. After a moment of trying to hold her blank face, a big grin broke out and she slumped her shoulder, planting a big wet kiss on Haley's cheek before turning to Lucas and Karen.

"Isn't she such a charmer?"

"How do you think she got away with so much stuff when we were little?" Lucas laughed, shaking his head when Haley let out a fake gasp and held a hand to her heart as if she was shocked at the mere suggestion that she used her charm to get away with things. "Oh, don't even try that! You used to flash that pout at my mom and you were free."

"I did no such thing!" Haley protested, turning her and Brooke, who still had her arms wrapped around her, around to face Karen with pout in place, trying to assure her that what Lucas was saying wasn't true. "I never did anything bad, did I Karen?"

"You were a complete angel," Karen beamed, reaching over and running a hand over Haley's hair to smooth it out. Haley turned back around and stuck her tongue out at Lucas, who narrowed his eyes at her. "It was my son who was always trying to get you to break the rules.

"What!"

"Why don't we move this into the living room," Brooke suggested, deciding it was best to end this conversation before Lucas and Haley got into a screaming match. While Karen and a grumbling Lucas moved towards the couch and sat down, Brooke helped Haley over to her chair. Once Haley was comfortable, Brooke perched herself on the arm of Haley's chair.

"So," Haley started, leaning her elbow on Brooke's lap and resting against the back of the chair, facing mother and son. "What are you guys doing here, anyway? How did you guys find us?"

"Karen's hottie boyfriend tracked us down," Brooke quickly filled her in before Karen had a chance to say anything. "You should see him, Tutor Girl, he is a total fox. And he's got an accent too!"

"And I'm sure mom would be more than happy to show you the picture later," Lucas cut in before Haley started to react the way Brooke had earlier. He was really starting to regret telling his mother to bring that picture. "Like when I'm not in the room."

"Andy found you guys about a month ago," Karen explained, patting her son lightly on the back to try to make him feel better, while talking to the girls. "We wanted to come visit right away, but with all the drama with Jake and Jenny, we figured we'd wait until things calmed down."

"Plus," Lucas added, forgetting all about his broody. "We wanted to surprise you for your birthday!"

"Your birthday?" Brooke repeated in surprise, looking down at Haley accusingly. Haley blushed and suddenly found her shirt very interesting. Letting out a gasp, Brooke hit Haley lightly on the shoulder. "I cannot believe that you didn't tell me it was your birthday! Is it today? It better not be today, I didn't get a chance to buy you anything."

"Calm down, Brookie," Haley laughed, feeling a little bad for not telling Brooke about it. "It's tomorrow."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Brooke asked in a soft voice, not sure whether it was a touchy subject or not. Haley shrugged as she played up the hem of hr shirt before finally looking up at Brooke.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I just didn't want you to make a big deal out of it, you know? You've already done _sooo_ much for me, more than I could have ever asked you for, and I know how you get about this kind of thing, and I knew you'd make a big deal about it."

"But it _is_ a big deal, Hales," Brooke insisted, not believing that she had no idea that tomorrow was Haley's birthday. She couldn't believe that Taylor hadn't mentioned it to her at all. Maybe she forgot about it too, she thought. "Well, we are going to celebrate. The four of us are going out to dinner tomorrow night, assuming you guys will still be here?" Karen and Lucas nodded. "And we'll call Taylor and Courtney, too. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

"Thanks," Haley mumbled, glaring at Lucas for opening his big mouth. "That's just what I needed."

"Oh, you shush," Brooke scolded her, slapping her arm again, and ruffling her hair. "It's going to be fun, and you are going to love it. You can show Karen and Broody around town tomorrow while I go shopping for the perfect gift to get you. How does that sound?"

"I've always wanted to see the Big Apple," Karen replied, not sure whether or not Haley really wanted to do it or not. She was getting the feeling that Brooke was the boss around there. Lucas nodded as well in agreement.

"Great," Brooke cheered, clapping her hands in glee. "Well, since we haven't gotten around to buying that pull out couch yet, you guys can take my room for the weekend and I'll bunk will Miss Moody over here. Is that cool."

"We don't want to put you guys out," Karen immediately started, feeling bad for springing this on them. "We can just stay in a hotel or something."

"Nonsense, it's no trouble at all," Brooke assured her, nudging Haley in the shoulder with her elbow to tell her to say something. "Right, Hales?"

"Right," Haley nodded. "It's no trouble. Brooke and I always have slumber parties, anyway."

"If you insist," Karen finally gave in. Brooke let out a sequel again and started to clap her hands together in excitement. "Oh, this is going to be sooo much fun! I can't wait!"

"Yeah," Haley groaned, not sure if she could take overexcited Brooke all weekend. "Great."

**--OTH--**

I know, nothing exciting, but it's an update, right? Oh, and I don't think I mentioned it in the chapter, but for those of you that are having trouble with the math, Haley is now 7 months pregnant. Please review so I know that you guys are still interested in this story.


	33. That's the Spirit

_Author's Note_: Hey, guys. What's happening? Well, I'm just here with a quick update to let you guys know that I'm still alive and so is this story. I'm not giving up on it. I'm going to finish it if my life depends on it. I know the exact ending so I'm definately going to finish it, even if it kills me. Anyway, please tell me what you guys think. Enjoy.

**---OTH---**

"And this is where we work," Haley informed them; waving her hand towards the building she was referring to. She watched Karen and Lucas look it over and she let out a sigh, plopping down in one of the chairs at an outside table. A moment later Lucas was sitting at the table with her, leaving Karen still checking it out.

"It looks nice," she told Haley, though she wasn't completely sure about it. She was looking it over, trying to decide if it was nicer than her Café, the place that Haley used to work. She knew how much Haley loved working there, and she was afraid that maybe she had found a better place to work. Maybe a better boss, as well.

"It is," Haley assured her, not sure what to make of the look on the older woman's face. "The owner's really nice, his name's Jack. Brooke thinks he has a little crush on us, and that's why he always gives us good hours and doesn't get mad if I'm too tired to come in or finish a shift."

"Sounds like you love working here," Karen mused, finding it hard to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She gave the Café one last look before going over to join her kids at the table. Lucas watched in amusement as she pulled out and chair and slumped down in it, crossing her arms over her chest like a little kid that was just told she wasn't allowed to have any candy. He knew actually what his mother was thinking.

"I do," Haley told her with a smile. The smile quickly faded though when she saw Karen sigh and finally realized what was wrong with Karen. "But, but not as much as I loved working at the Café."

"Really?" Karen knew she was overreacting, but after seeing how happy Haley seemed to be in New York, she was starting to worry that maybe Tree Hill and the people that had always been there for her didn't mean as much to Haley as she thought they did.

"Of course," Haley laughed, finding it cute that Karen was getting so worked up over such a silly thing. She knew there had to be another reason for her behavior and she made a mental note to talk to her about it later. "I mean, come on, what's better than working for your mother?"

"Aw, I miss having my daughter work for me too." The two smiled at each other from across the table and both reached out, bringing their hands together. Lucas's amused lessened and he rolled his eyes.

"God," he moaned, leaning back in his chair and motioning for a waitress to come over. "You guys were never this sapping and boring at home, were you? This is all getting a little too girly for me."

"We were always this sappy," Karen teased her son, giving him a wink. "We just never did it around you."

"I guess I should thank you for that, then," he mumbled, ignoring the laugh that the women shared before pulling their hands apart and leaning back in their chairs. A moment later, the waitress that Lucas had signaled for came out with a pad of paper in her hand.

"What can I get for you guys?" she asked without looking up, her attention focused on her paper, ready to write down anything that they said. It was obvious that she was new to the whole thing.

"Courtney?" Haley asked in amusement, trying to see the waitress's face to make sure it really was her friend. She broke out into a smile when the blonde looked up and it was in fact Courtney. She burst out laughing when the other girl gave her a dirty look.

"Shut up, Hay," Courtney mumbled, glaring at the girl that had become somewhat of a little sister to her over the past 5 months. She had never wanted a little sister before, and could never understand why Taylor gushed about Haley so much, but she was really beginning to get the whole little sister fascination that her best friend had. Both Haley and Brooke were like her little sisters now.

"Ah, man, Court, what the hell?" Haley laughed, completely forgetting that Karen and Lucas were sitting there still, probably completely confused at what was going on.

"I thought I told you to shut up," Courtney warned, giving her the most evil look she could muster. She couldn't help but notice how big Haley was though. It had been a while since the last time she had seen her. "Jeez, Hay, you're a freaking house."

"Don't change the subject," Haley immediately snapped at her. "Especially not to how fat I am." Courtney quickly nodded her head and Lucas smirked, even though he didn't know what was going on or who the sexy blonde was. "What are you doing here? Why are you working here? I thought Courtney Douglas didn't work."

"My parents cut me off when I moved out of my dorm," she explained with a sigh, making sure to keep her anger at her parents out of this. "They said that they would only continue to pay for my living expenses if it was in a dorm room where they knew I couldn't get into too much trouble. And as you know, rent costs money, so…"

"How long have you been working here?"

"Um, a few weeks," she answered, smiling when Haley looked at her with wide eyes. "I explained things to Jack and he made sure that we were never on the same shift. I just never expected you to eat here, and on the day I start waitressing. Life sucks."

"Oh, man," Haley laughed, shaking her head at the older girl. "I can't wait to tell Brooke, she's gonna love it." At the other girl's name, Courtney finally realized that the other brunette wasn't there, but Haley was with an older woman and a guy she couldn't help but noticed was extremely hot.

"Where is Brookie, anyway?" she asked, looking at Haley, but also keeping an eye on Lucas. She would definitely have to ask Haley about him later on. "You guys are always attached at the hip." Haley rolled her eyes at her words, but knew they were true nonetheless.

"She's out shopping with Tay for my birthday present," Haley answered as if it were nothing. Courtney's eyes widened at her words.

"It's your birthday!" She couldn't believe that Taylor hadn't mentioned anything to her. She should have known that she would want to get Haley something. Not to mention go out and celebrate with her. "Tay never told me that!"

"It's okay," Haley assured her with a laugh. "Brooke didn't know either. I was kind hoping it would just pass without anybody knowing or remembering, but that didn't seem to work out the way I wanted it to." She sent a playful glare at Lucas and Karen with her words. They both gave her innocent smiles and shrugged.

"Like I was going to miss my daughter's 17th birthday," Karen insisted with a warm smile. Lucas rolled his eyes, hoping they didn't get all mushy again and Courtney raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Daughter?" she questioned. She had no idea what Lydia James looked like, but she thought the women in front of her looked much to young to have 6 children. And she really hoped that the guy wasn't Haley and Taylor's brother. That would kind of make him off limits, she thought.

"Oh my God, I'm so rude," Haley cursed herself, not believing that she hadn't said anything yet. She smiled over at Karen and Lucas. "Courtney these are two of my favorite people in the whole world, they're from Tree Hill. This is my best friend since forever Lucas and his mom slash my surrogate mom, Karen."

"Oh, so you're the infamous Lucas and Karen, huh?" Courtney smiled at them, not believing that she hadn't put two and two together. "Haley talks about you all the time."

"Isn't that sweet, Hales," Lucas gushed in his usual teasing matter. She glared at him, but it didn't seem to faze the boy in the slightest. "Five months and thousands of miles, and you still can't think about anything other than me."

"Bite me, Scott," she snapped, narrowing her eyes at him. Knowing exactly where this was going, Karen quickly put an end to it by telling them both to be quiet. She couldn't help but smile at their behavior though. She hadn't seen Lucas having this much fun since Haley had left.

"Sorry about those two," Karen told Courtney politely. She held out her hand for the blonde to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Courtney, is it?"

"Oh, man, sorry again," Haley mumbled, sending another glare at Lucas to let him know that it was his fault that she was being rude. "Guys, this is Courtney. She's a good friend of ours. She's Tay's best friend and roommate."

"Oh, you're one of Taylor's friends?" Lucas asked, smiling and straightening up in his seat. If she was friends with Taylor, best friends, she was bound to be a bunch of fun, just like the blonde. He couldn't count the number of times he had a crush on one of Taylor's hot friends. It felt like old times.

"Her best friend," Courtney repeated, smiling sweetly down at him, liking where this was going. Karen rolled her eyes, not surprised at her son's flirting since he liked to hit on anything with boobs, but Haley couldn't believe his actions. She narrowed her eyes at him again and leaned forward, hoping to get her best friend's attention.

"Yeah, and Luke's my best friend," she cut in, getting both of their attention. "Am I the only one that thinks that's ironic? My best friend, Tay's best friend, wouldn't that be weird if you got married? I could be your best woman; Tay could be your maid of honor. Of course, you'd ask Brooke to be a bride's maid, but she'd probably be uncomfortable given the fact that her and Lucas used to date and all..."

"You and Brooke used to date?" Courtney asked, disappointed. Not that she expected much out of him since she figured he was leaving soon, but maybe they could just have a fun night together, two hot people hooking up, nothing wrong with that.

"Well, kinda," he admitted, but quickly continued when he saw her starting to say something. "But that was a long time ago, and the break up was pretty bad, so I doubt she still likes me or anything." Haley and Karen had to stifle laughter at how desperate he seemed.

"Sorry, girl code," she shrugged; decided it wasn't that big of a deal. There were plenty of hotties in the City that she could hook up with. "That's one of the most important rules, man; Thou shalt not covert thy girlfriend's ex-ass. Nothing I can do."

"I understand," Lucas mumbled, slumping back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting, much like his mother had done just a few minutes ago. That did not go unnoticed by Lucas or Haley. Haley shook her head at his behavior and looked back up at Courtney.

"So, anyway," she began, looking at Lucas for a moment as she drew out the word before looking back up at the blonde. "Brooke's planning some big night out tomorrow to celebrate, and we thought we'd invite you and Tay. You up for it?"

"I've always got time to celebrate your birthday, Hay," Courtney smiled down at her. "And I know Tay's not busy tomorrow, and I'm assuming Brooke already asked her, so just call to tell us the details once that's all figured out." Haley smiled, glad that she agreed to it. Maybe tomorrow night wouldn't be as much as a train wreck as she had thought it would be.

**---OTH---**

"Brooke," Taylor moaned when she saw what Brooke was holding up. "There is no way that Haley is going to wear that." Brooke pulled away to look at the maternity pants that she was holding up. She didn't see the problem.

"What's wrong with them?" she asked, looking between them and Taylor. "They're hot, I would totally wear them if I were pregnant." Taylor put her hand on her hip and stared at Brooke for a moment, waiting for her to realize what was wrong with her sentence. "What?"

"When has Haley ever liked anything that you would wear?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, daring Brooke to argue that. Brooke opened her mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when she realized that the blonde was right.

"Shut up," she mumbled with a pout, throwing the pants back on the table and moving around to a different rack. "Then what do you suggest that we get her?"

"First," Taylor began, idly looking through the clothes on the rack in front of her. "_We_ are not getting Haley something. I'm getting her something and you're getting her something. Second, I don't think we should get her anything from here."

"But it's the most fashion friendly maternity store in the city," Brooke pointed out, confused at what Taylor was trying to say. The older blonde let out a sigh and rolled her eyes.

"I don't think we should get her something that she's only going to be using for another two months," Taylor explained, giving up on her search for anything. "Besides, even if Hay wasn't pregnant, buying her clothes for her birthday seems kind of stupid. She's not really into that kind of stuff, you know?"

"Okay," Brooke sighed, seeing both of Taylor's points. She tried to think of something else she could get her best friend for a moment, but came up blank. "So then what am I supposed to get her? She's Tutor Girl, right? Should I get her a book?"

"You can't just get her a random book, Brooke," Taylor laughed, picture the look on Haley's face when Brooke dropped Fixing Cars for Dummies in front of her. "If you can think of a book that will actually mean something to her, than I say go for it, but if not, think of something else."

"Okay, I can't think of anything bookwise," Brooke informed her, turning on her heel and leading her friend out of the store and onto the street. Once they were outside, she still couldn't think of anything to get Haley. She let out a frustrated sigh. "This is so lame. Why can't I think of anything? Whenever Peyton's birthday comes around, all I have to do is grab some old record or ugly band t-shirt and she's happy as a clam."

"Haley's not exactly the most complicated girl in the world," Taylor reminded her friend, giving her shoulder a little shove. "She's not that hard to shop for. Just think really, really hard and it'll come to you."

"Okay," Brooke nodded, linking her arm with Taylor's as they walked down the street towards the Café where they were told to meet the others for a dinner. "Well, what are you getting her?"

"Oh, well," Taylor began, but stopped when her mind went blank. She opened her mouth to try again, but still nothing. She scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion and looked down, trying to remember what she wanted to get Haley for her birthday. Surely she had thought about it by now. Brooke watched her think for a moment before she slumped her shoulders in defeat.

"You have no idea either, do you?" Taylor shot her a dirty look and Brooke chuckled. She shook her head in amusement as they rounded the corner that the Café was on. "We're pathetic. We can't even think of anything to get a simple girl that we both love dearly. How sad are we?"

"Pretty sad," Taylor agreed. "But not as sad as Hay is gonna be if we don't get her something good after you made such a production out of this whole thing when she didn't want to do anything."

"Don't you dare blame this on me!" Brooke exclaimed, bumping her hip with Taylor's and letting out a laugh when she had to keep herself from falling into the busy New York street. "You're her sister, you've known her all her life. You should know what to get her by now."

"Haley is an extremely complex girl, you know?" Taylor tried to convince her, deciding to ignore Brooke's attempt on her life for the moment as they continued to walk.

"Tutor Girl is not exactly what I would call complex, Tay," Brooke laughed, amused at the mere thought of someone finding Haley James complex. Brooke think so, she was just Haley, her best bud. It really shouldn't be so hard to think of a present for her. "God, she's my best friend. This shouldn't be so hard!"

"Give yourself a break, Brooke," Taylor told her, wrapping a loose arm around her friend's shoulders and giving them a light squeeze. She laughed lightly when Brooke continued to pout at her words. "Hey, like you said, I'm her sister and I don't know what to get her either."

"Still…" Brooke tried to protest. God, she was totally overreacting, but she just blamed it on living with a pregnant girl for the last five months. All those mood swings were starting to rub off on her.

"Besides," Taylor tried again with a smile and another squeeze. "The more you think about it, the more awesome it's gonna be. It wouldn't have meant as much if you just picked the first random thing, right?"

"I guess," Brooke mumbled, but didn't complain anymore. "Oh well, we both have until tomorrow night, anyway. That'll give me all night to think about it tonight, and maybe ask Luke or Karen for some ideas or something."

"That's the spirit," Taylor cheered, sending a wave and smile at her sister when she spotted her sitting at their usual table at the Café. "And if worse comes to worse, just tell Hay that she'll have to wait a little bit because you want to make sure you get her the perfect gift."

"Man, I sound like some loser boyfriend worrying about what to get his girlfriend for their first birthday together." Brooke made a face, remembering all the bad Saturday morning shows that tried to play with that plotline and of course failed miserably. She did not want to act like that, ever.

"Well, if you ever want to date my baby sister, you have my blessing," Taylor teased, wiggling her eyebrows comically when Brooke sent her an evil glare. "Okay, I'm sorry. You set it up, I wasn't supposed to take it?"

"Shut up, Taylor," Brooke mumbled, shrugging Taylor's arm off of her shoulder as they neared the Café. Taylor glanced at the table with her sister and friends and smiled slightly when she noticed Lucas sitting there.

"Oh, sorry, I completely forgot," Taylor began, a devilish smile on her face. "I forgot that good old Lucas Scott was in town. You can't hook up with my sister when you're busy pining over the basketball stud, can you?"

"Tay, shut up," Brooke hissed, when they were just a couple feet away from the table and Taylor was talking about her wanting to hook up with Lucas. She saw Taylor about to say something else, and she quickly gave her a harsh pinch in the arm and moved away from her before Lucas could ask what had just happened.

"Hey, Tigger," Haley greeted; smiling sweetly up at Brooke as she walked behind her to get to the chair on Haley's other side. The former cheerleader plopped down in the chair, ruffling Haley's hair and giving her huge belly an adoring rub.

"Hello, family," she greeted Haley and little Brookie before turning to Lucas and Karen. "Hey, guys. How was your field trip? Was Hales a good tour guide?"

"Oh yeah," Karen quickly assured Brooke with a smile. Taylor smiled at her sister proudly, not surprised that Haley knew her way around the city already and pulled out the chair between Lucas and Haley and sat down in it. "She showed us all the things that I've always wanted to see here. It was all so beautiful."

"God, mom," Lucas groaned. "Could you be anymore chick flickish?" All the girls simply ignore him and continued on with their conversation until Courtney came over with another waitress with all of their food.

"I ordered for you guys," Haley told Taylor and Brooke as the other waitress placed the plates around the table. "I hope you guys don't mind."

"Not at all," Taylor told her, looking approvingly at the huge cheeseburger that was sitting in front of her. "You know what I like, sis."

"As long as it's not a pickle and cheese sandwich, I think I'm okay," Brooke teased, which earned her a sarcastic face from Haley. The two laughed, leaving the rest of the people at the table, and all started to eat their food.

"Court, pull up a seat," Taylor told her best friend with a mouth full of food. Brooke didn't even register the invite until she noticed Courtney pulling a chair from another table and fitting in between Brooke and Karen. Brooke stopped mid chew and gave Courtney the once over and almost burst out laughing.

"Oh my God!" she giggled; glad that she hadn't been drinking when she had spotted Courtney. She quickly swallowed the bite of her BLT and brought her hand up to cover her mouth as her laughter bubbled over.

"Yeah, yeah," Courtney mumbled, wondering for the millionth time why she had gotten a job at the Café in the first place. She knew that Brooke and Haley worked there, and even though Jack had agreed to put them on different shifts, she should have known that she couldn't hide it forever. "Laugh it up."

"Oh God, my stomach hurts," Brooke got out between laughs. Haley and Taylor tried their best to suppress their laughter at Brooke's reaction and the look on Courtney's face. "Oh, man, oh, that just made my entire life."

"I hate you," the blonde mumbled, folding her arms across her chest and jutting out her bottom lip to show that she didn't find the situation amusing at all. "I hope you choke and die."

"Ah, I love you, too, Court," Brooke gushed, reaching over to try to play with one of the hanging strings on Courtney's apron. She let out another giggle when her hands were squatted away.

Haley watched on in amusement, not surprised at Brooke's reaction at all. She knew that's what she was going to do when she saw their older friend. She couldn't help but smile as the two girls began swatting at each other, causing the rest of the table to laugh at them. She looked around at everyone and couldn't believe how happy she felt. She had been so positive that night when she watched in on Nathan and that girl that her life was ruined and that she would never be okay again. But as she looked around the table at all the people she cared about it the world, she couldn't help but notice that she was incredibly happy.

She also couldn't help but notice that there was someone missing.

**---OTH---**

"Alright," Haley stated, leaning forward on the couch in determination. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm heading to bed. It's tiring being pregnant."

"But the movie isn't over yet," Lucas pointed, glaring at her wanting to go to bed so early. It was just like when they were kids and they were having their sleepover. She could never stay up for the whole movie, and when she wanted to go to bed, Karen made him go to bed as well. He missed the ends of so many great movies because of that. To this day, he still didn't know if they saved the world in Armageddon.

"Get over it," she snapped back, surprising Lucas at the sudden harshness. Brooke held back the laugh when she saw the shocked look on his face. She was so used to Haley's mood swings it wasn't even funny. To tell the truth, she hardly even noticed them anymore.

"Don't mind her," Brooke advised her as he shrunk back in his seat on the floor in fear. Haley fought the urge to smack them both as she tried to stand up straight.

"A little help here," she snapped at Brooke, who was sitting beside her and having a glaring contest with Lucas at the moment. Brooke quickly stood up, and bend back down to help her extremely pregnant best friend stand up.

"Okay, let's go to bed," she suggested, keeping a firm hold on Haley's hand when they were both up straight.

"I said you guys didn't have to go to bed," Haley reminded her, feeling bad at the thought of ruining everyone's night just because she was tired. Karen and Brooke both shook their heads to tell her that it wasn't a big deal, while Lucas just pouted. Haley didn't care about him though.

"Oh, we're tired from our trip anyway," Karen assured her, smiling up at Haley's worried face. It was just like Haley to put others before herself, even after all of this time and unfairness. "Right, Lucas?" When Lucas didn't say anything, she kicked him lightly in the back and he nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Might as well leave all this crap to clean up in the morning," Brooke decided, as she left Haley's side momentarily to turn off the television and when over to lock the door. Karen and Lucas stood up as well, and started turning off the lights and anything that they might have left in the room. "All your stuff is in my room already, right?"

"Yeah," Lucas mumbled, stifling a yawn on principle and shuffling his feet towards Brooke's bedroom and disappearing into it after giving them a weak wave goodnight. The three women watched him in amusement, understanding that it's probably tough for him to be stuck with three females all weekend.

"Are you sure you don't mind us stealing your bedroom, Brooke?" Karen asked for the hundredth time that night. She knew that she was probably becoming annoying, but she just couldn't help it. She was like Haley; she always had an overwhelming need to please people.

"Karen, really…"

"Because it's not too late for us to go to a hotel," she continued before Brooke could give her an answer. She glanced at her watch and decided it probably wasn't the best idea to be out that late in the City on a Friday night. "Or we could at least sleep on the couch. I just feel horrible kicking you out of your own room."

"Karen, don't be silly," Brooke told her, making sure that her voice left no room for argument. "I have absolutely no problem bunking with Haley. We have slumber parties most nights anyway. It's not a big deal at all."

"You're sure?"

"We're sure," Haley said this time, giving her a positive smile. Finally, they saw Karen's shoulders slump and they knew that she had given in. "Good night, Karen."

"Night girls," she said, leaning in to give Brooke a quick hug before moving to stand in front of Haley. She couldn't help but to smile proudly at the life that Haley had made for herself here. Most teenagers would have given up or gone back to their parents, Haley stuck it out. Karen reached out and brushed a stray hair out of Haley's face and leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie."

"For getting pregnant before my 17 birthday?"

"For not letting that ruin your life," she corrected her. They shared a smile and pulled each other in for a hug. It wasn't until she was in Karen's arms in that moment that she realized just how much she had missed her 'mom'. "I love you, Karen."

"Aw, I love you too, Haley-bub." Giving her one more kiss on the forehead and another wave to Brooke, Karen quickly disappeared into Brooke's bedroom just like her son had done moments before, leaving the two best friends by themselves in the living room.

"You okay?" Brooked asked her softly when she saw the sad look on Haley's face. The moment Haley realized that she was starting to cry, she quickly wiped her face and gave Brooke a watery smile.

"I'm okay," she promised the other girl with a nod. She saw the skeptical look on Brooke's face. "I promise."

"If you say so," Brooke sighed, rubbing her hand up and down Haley's back in a soothing fashion even if she wasn't sad. "Come on, let's go to bed." Haley nodded and let herself be led into her bedroom. Luckily the girls were already dressed for bed thanks to Haley's suggestion before they started watching the movie. "I'm just gonna brush my teeth and stuff, kay?"

"Yeah," Haley nodded, slipping into bed. She didn't have the energy to follow Brooke's actions and instead got under the covers and waited for her best friend to come back and keep her company. A few minutes later, a minty fresh Brooke joined her under the covers.

"Do you have enough room?" she asked, shifting in her position until she found one that was comfortable for her. She could see Haley nod in the darkness. The two of them laid in silence for a moment, before Brooke couldn't take it anymore. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I promise, Tigger," Haley assured her, turning her head to look at the brunette. She knew that Brooke could tell that she was lying. "It's just, with Lucas and Karen here, it just reminded me how much I miss Peyton."

"I know, sweetie," Brooke spoke, reaching out in the dark to grab a hold of Haley's hand. "But it's your birthday tomorrow so I'm sure she'll call. I'm assuming that I was the only one that didn't know it was your birthday."

"Yeah, I think so," Haley said, smiling slightly at the pout she could hear in Brooke's voice. "I'm sorry about that, by the way. I just didn't want to make a big deal out of it at all. I grew up in a big family, you know? We didn't really celebrate birthdays like normal people do. And I never really had many friends, so it was really just me, Lucas, Karen, Keith and Taylor having dinner at the Café. And with three of those people not here, I thought it would just depress me if we celebrated it."

"I get it, Hales," Brooke assured her. "But we're not in Tree Hill anymore, you know that. I think we're gonna have to start some new traditions. What better way to start than by celebrating the day you came into this world?"

"You're the best, Tigger," Haley marveled with a laugh.

"I try," was her ever so modest response. "Okay, enough of this chit chat. You said you were tired and it's not good for Little Brookie to not get her rest."

"You're right," Haley nodded, rolling onto her side so she was comfortable. She rested her head nicely on the pillow and closed her eyes. "Night, Tigger. Love you."

"I love you, too," Brooke repeated in an already sleepy tone. Before they knew it, both girls had fallen to sleep.

**---OTH---**

Okay, that's all for now. I know nothing too exciting happened in this chapter, but it's setting up for next chapter, which again, will probably not be too exciting either. I don't know, I might surprise you though. Anyway, drop me a review please and tell me what you thought. I would love to hear from you. Anyway, peace out until next update of whichever story. Later.


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